Green Puffin isn't about sweets (yum) or slime (yuck) it's about our planet and taking care of it. You've probably heard all about climate change and global warming and the environment and maybe you're wondering 'Who Cares?' - well, we do!
First of all, let's talk about the books, because here at Puffin, that's what we do best. But do you know how books are born? And what has it got to do with the environment? Puffin's biggest impact on the environment comes from our use of paper, so we ensure our paper is sourced responsibly. We print our books on paper approved by the Forest Stewardship Council , who guarantee it comes from only the most environmentally friendly sources.
We could explain it all to you in a diagram, or a pie chart, or a graph, but that would be YAWN - boring!
So here's some fun green stuff for you - you're off to the woods with Green Puffin. Don't forget your wellies!
That's the end of the tree talk, but we've still got lots more to tell you about Green Puffin...
So, what about Climate Change? Sadly the planet really is warming up. Here's the sciency bit - in the last 100 years, the average surface air temperature on planet Earth has risen by one whole centigrade and evidence suggests it's human activity which has caused it.
Each year, cars, planes, trains, homes, power stations and offices add around 26 million tonnes (phew!) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making something called greenhouse gas. This, along with other gases like methane, absorbs heat like a sponge instead of letting it pass into space. And so the planet heats up.
Does it matter if it gets a bit hotter?
Unfortunately, even a tiny rise in global temperature will have catastrophic (i.e. really bad) effects. It won't happen to everyone straight away but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Everyone around the world will be affected in some way in the end.
What kind of things will happen?
Some of the symptoms of climate change include floods, draughts, heat-waves and hurricanes. These are not only a threat to millions of people but also thousands of species across the world. That's why it's so important for everyone to do what they can - you might not think you can make a difference, but you really can.
What happens here in our Puffinvironment and what are we doing to help?
Every day our office uses heating, lighting, paper, computers, telephones, air conditioning etc. All of this is energy intensive and we make sure we only use what we really need. How do we do this?
By recycling - anything that can go in a white, blue or green bin gets chucked straight in! We recycle white and coloured paper, magazines, newspapers, cardboard, fluorescent light tubes, toner cartridges, glass and plastic bottles, cans, CD's, mobile phones, batteries, electronic equipment, cooking oil and 40% of our general waste.
All Puffin's A4 paper has been replaced with 100% recycled paper.
At the end of the day our PC's are switched off at the mains so they can get a good night's sleep - leaving them on standby keeps them awake.
If something doesn't really need to be printed out, it stays on screen.
If we need to catch a plane to visit other Puffins around the world, or see our authors, or go to book fairs, we report our flights and for every tonne of carbon dioxide we will pay £7.50 to go towards a series of projects, which focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and forest restoration.
This is what we're doing to help the environment - what can YOU do?
Loads! Switch off your T.V at the mains, unplug your Nintendo, turn off your bedroom light when you go out, recycle your magazines, put a jumper on and not turn the heating up, have a shower not a bath, turn the tap off when you're giving your teeth a scrub...
There is much more you can do to help take care of the planet - check out the following links and books. Enjoy being eco-friendly, just like Charlie and Lola, Max Gordon and Scarlett.
Some of our books with an eco-friendly vibe!
» www.charlieandlola.com/planet
» www.thedangerzone.co.uk
» www.cathycassidy.com
Some other useful websites
» The Woodland Trust
» RSPB
» WWF
» The Rainforest Alliance
» Blue Peter's, Green Peter
