Publisher News
Green Bay based independent book publisher TitleTown Publishing, LLC is pleased to announce its partnership with the Green Press Initiative, an environmental company which seeks to advance sustainable patterns of production and consumption within the U.S. book and newspaper industries. In August 2009, TitleTown Publishing released two new titles: Torture at the Back Forty by Mike Dauplaise and Run at Destruction by Lynda Drews. In the printing of these two books through Thomson-Shore, another Green manufacturer and printer located in Dexter, MI, TitleTown Publishing used 100 percent post-consumer waste stock. In using this material, TitleTown Publishing has saved 161 trees, 7,360 pounds of solid waste, 57,362 gallons of water, 13,823 pounds of net greenhouse gases and 115 million BTUs of total energy (source of calculations: www.papercalculator.org). Publisher Tracy Ertl remarked “Our printer, Thomson-Shore, is at the forefront of the Green Press Initiative. As a young company, TitleTown will continue to look to create partnerships with businesses who share the same ideals.” The “Going Green” initiative is a sign of the times. With a recent survey showing that 80 percent of consumers who purchased a book or magazine in the past six months or who currently have a magazine subscription said they would be willing to pay between $.25 and $1 more for titles printed on recycled paper. “It doesn’t cost any more for us to be responsible in the printing process,” Ertl stated. “There is nothing quite like holding a great book in your hands. TitleTown wants to make that pleasure guilt-free for those resisting e-book and Kindle readers. For those customers embracing the new technology, TitleTown will work to distribute our titles in alternative forms.” Extending their Green Initiative, co-owner Christine Ertl was awarded Eco Champion by The North Face clothing company during a contest held to promote a new location. A sophomore psychology major at St. Thomas University, Christine Ertl was selected as the winner after describing that she recycles and reuses things without buying new. “We have always lived ‘green’, so to do it in business was a natural extension,” Christine Ertl said. “At St. Thomas, they educate the ‘whole’ person. Part of my learning process as a college student is to develop responsible habits within the community. I’m excited that my mother and I can continue that mission through our business.”