One National Geographic magazine emits carbon equivalent of driving 2 miles

Few magazines have the resources, or perhaps even the interest, to determine the impact on the planet of their printing and production. However, National Geographic has collaborated with paper company Verso Paper Co., Quad/Graphics (the magazine's printer) and Harmony Environmental, an environmental consulting firm, to calculate just what its "carbon footprint" is. The results were unveiled today at the Gravure Association of America conference being held in Toronto.

The results of Verso’s portion of the study showed that to produce the paper for one National Geographic magazine weighing 12.3 ounces, 1.27 pounds of CO₂ equivalents are emitted. When factoring in the printing, distribution, packaging and all other National Geographic activities associated with the development of the magazine, a total of 1.82 pounds of CO₂ equivalents are emitted. To put this into perspective, the same amount of CO₂ equivalents are emitted by consumers when driving just under 2 miles in a standard automobile with a 20 MPG rating.