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

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

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.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

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.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

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