July 05, 2007

Green Update


Sometimes, if you study something long enough, and get a little bit lucky, what seems hard is actually very easy.

We have decided to change printers for Russian Life. Starting with our next issue (September 2007), we will be printing the magazine in Missouri instead of Ohio, at Ovid Bell Press (founded 1924). A number of factors came into play, but not the least of them was the fact that we are able to shift the printing of our magazine to 100% recycled stock. That's right, 100%! This, as I wrote earlier, was our goal in a few years' time!

The stock (CyclusOffset) is top quality and very cool. It is made in Denmark, from 100% recycled office papers, all collected within 300 km of the plant. The paper plant itself is biomass fueled and run very green. And no awful bleaching processes using chlorine are used to whiten the paper.

The stock is a matte-coated, which I like much better, because a gloss-coated stock can be hard to read: it is so reflective. This paper has a nice, substantial feel, and holds colors well. I look forward to hearing what our readers have to say about it...

Of course, it is not the greatest environmental choice, in that it has to be shipped by boat from Denmark to the US and then trucked or trained to Missouri, where our printer is. But eventually some US or Canadian paper plant will catch on and realize they can make green paper more economically from waste paper than from trees.

Given this change, we have stepped up our overall plan for reducing our environmental impact. You can read the whole shpiel here.

Of course, what I am most excited about is that, from this, we will save over 530 trees, and cut our production of greenhouse gases and solid waste in half. Link to the full statement (courtesy the Environmental Defense Fund) as a PDF here.

While our small magazineâ??s changes will not reverse global warming or staunch mankind's relentless depletion of natural resources, our example does show that even a small company with limited resources can, through research and commitment, make the changes necessary to operate in an environmentally responsible manner.

Go figure.
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Some of our Books

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This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
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Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Bears in the Caviar
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Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

A Taste of Russia
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The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

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The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Murder and the Muse
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Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
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Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

The Latchkey Murders
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The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

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Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

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