Congratulations for using 30% recycled and FSC paper (see www.fsc.org [9]) and vegetable-based ink. Please follow your further advice (BCMJ, 2007;49[9]:501): align the BCMJ with the current epoch in environmental health and make it the most Earth-friendly medical journal on the globe.

1. Use 100% post-consumer recycled, unbleached (or at least chlorine-free bleached) paper (BCMJ now uses 30% recycled paper).

2. Use local paper to reduce the carbon costs of transportation (the paper of this journal is trucked from Wisconsin).

3. Use no-clay paper (the 30% to 35% clay-content paper this is printed on increases recycling and transportation costs).

4. Find a local source for your vegetable-oil ink (which avoids the heavy metals and volatile solvents). 

5. Eliminate plastic wrapping. I re­peat, eliminate plastic wrapping.

6. Staple inserts into magazine; inserts that cannot be stapled in as a pull-out should be eliminated; the same environmental standards must apply to any inserts.

7. Offer members incentives to de­cline inserts (reducing carbon transportation costs).

8. Offer members incentives to re­ceive BCMJ online (I admit it, I love reading your paper version).

9. Revise your BCMJ mission statement to include Earth-respecting values.

10. Model these to the world and celebrate your achievements by including a monthly eco-awareness section; this section shall highlight successive Earth-respecting achievements of the BCMA/BCMJ and a monthly eco-tip for hospitals and offices.

-Doug W. McGhee, MD
Victoria