For me, being an
‘intern’, has always conjured up horror images of nightmare bosses, vis-à-vis the “Devil Wears Prada” or a sea
of faceless suits who see me as little more than a human coffee machine.
In light of this view, Earthtone has been a breath of fresh air. For one, the
office itself is small, and there are eleven of us, including three other
interns. From day one I was made to feel welcome, and the CEO and CFO, Nader
and David, were a world away from the ‘dragon lady’ I’d previously imagined.
Everyone at Earthtone makes an effort, and
despite missing both the company lunch and the Go-Karting trip due to an
unfortunate bout of Swine Flu (or maybe just a glorified cold), the young, relaxed
atmosphere helped me settle in right away. Of course, it’s important not to be
too laid-back, not least because of an office ‘Wall of Shame’ which captures
those moments when employees might not be one hundred per cent focused.
Fortunately, I never made it on, though my fellow intern managed it after
dozing off in his first week.
But it’s not all funny
pictures and snoozing interns; being a History student at Newcastle, though interesting,
does not teach you much about the business world and I’ve learned a great deal
from my time here. I’ve investigated the concept of ‘going green’ as a
significant factor when constructing a business model, particularly for a
printer.
I was asked to do a
presentation to the whole company on how it was relevant to Earthtone, a
prospect I certainly didn’t relish at the time, but proved to be a great
experience and confidence booster. I only hope my co-workers found it an
equally positive experience!
So what did I find
out? Obviously the printing industry needs to use paper, but in a world that is
increasingly concerned about our planet, they need to make sure they have
genuine structures in place that minimizes their environmental impact. At Earthtone we do our bit and try and
encourage our members to do the same, whether they are a print provider or a
print buyer, because not only does it help our environment, it really can help
your business.
Having spoken with
green printers such as Pepper Printing and Printing For Less, I’ve learned
there’s a great deal that can be done to reduce your impact. It can be as
simple as recycling a cup or turning off a light, and already you’ve cut down
on your waste and saved some cash in the process. I was also asked to research
the certification which is available to printers. Most people will have seen an
FSC logo at some point in their life, as it’s the crème-de-la crème of
sustainable forestry, but what does it mean? FSC, which stands for the
Forest-Stewardship Council, as well as the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and the SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative),
make sure your paper is coming from a forest which is handled responsibly.
I’ve never been much
of an eco-warrior, but as a print buyer I know that I would want to know that
all efforts were being made to preserve the earth’s natural beauty. The really dedicated environmentalist might
also know about ISO14001 or EMAS certification. Having either of these shows
the world that you’ve transformed the way you manage your business to help save
the earth. Any printer who achieves one of these certifications proves they are
up there with the green elite, and soon Earthtone will have a system by which a
buyer can recognise the greenest printers out there. Also on the research side, I’ve also looked
into the world of social networking as a business tool, and was surprised to
discover that Twitter is far more than just a way of following cat-fights
between celebrities.
My experience with
Earthtone has been a fun, thought-provoking and challenging experience, a
combination any intern would hope for, and I only hope my final year at
university proves to be a similar experience. Thank you to everyone there and
best of luck to the future, if I ever need to find a list of eco-friendly
printers up in Newcastle, you’ll be the first to know!
Lucy Dauman