Though it would seem impossible to get any greener than we are, GSEM is taking steps to help preserve our environment by cutting down on the amount of paper generated by the council. For 2009 and beyond, we encourage you to help us "go green-er" by utilizing the GSEM Web site for viewing council publications.
The facts:
GSEM prints 136,000 copies of multi-page council publications on a yearly basis. The council takes care to use recycled paper for publications whenever possible, and we know that members often recycle their publications after reading them. But we’ve also learned that many GSEM publications are tossed away even before they are read, as members may choose to view them online. Thus, we are wasting not only paper but council resources in printing and mailing them.
What GSEM is doing:
To help cut down on the amount of paper we use in printing these publications, GSEM will begin to phase out the mass printing and mailing of some publications and encourage members to use the council Web site to view them. In case you didn't know, ALL council publications are available on the GSEM Web site.
What you can do:
- Encourage your fellow members and volunteers to visit the GSEM Web site for viewing publications.
- Encourage members to make sure that their online contact information (especially e-mail addresses) is correct and kept updated. The information we have is only as good as what members provide – especially e-mail addresses. If a member changes the e-mail address they originally provided with their registration information, it’s vital that they update their membership record online with that new e-mail. This is an easy process on the members-only section of the GSEM site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What about members who either don’t have a computer or have difficulty in accessing the Web?
A. In these instances, members may still get council printed publications via regular mail. However, in order to do so, they will be asked to indicate this at annual membership registration/renewal, or contact the council by a specific deadline each year with their mailing information so that they can be added to a mailing list.
Q. When are publications posted to the Web site now?
A. Connections, Leader Program Bulletin and Volunteer Development Bulletin are issued twice a year. In general, they are released and posted to the Web by September 1 (Fall issue) and then again by January 10 (Spring issue). A Girl Scout Summer is distributed in February so that there is enough lead time for troops/girls to register for camp. Other publications that are only updated every few years (VRG, Trips and Tours, etc.) are posted when completed – membership will be alerted when each of these are updated.
Q. Will the printing and mailing of all publications be stopped?
A. No. There are some publications that are reference resources or manuals which are used from year to year, such as the Volunteer Resource Guide, and it makes more sense for members to have a printed copy. However, the format of some publications will be changing to be more cost-efficient in printing and mailing, but more importantly, so that they are as user-friendly as possible.
Q. Why is the council "going green-er?"
A. In addition to helping preserve our environment with less use of paper, the other advantage of utilizing the GSEM Web site for viewing publications is its availability and immediacy. You don’t have to wait for your publications to arrive in the mail. The Web site is available 24/7.
Questions? Contact Mary Wilson in Marketing, 314-592-2397, or mwilson@girlscoutsem.org.