I have covered this subject before, but it has happened again. We received a request to cancel complimentary subscriptions (sending comp magazines is a normal practice for advertisers and potential advertisers) and the company claims they are “going green.” What is even more funny is that the request was from Club Med, who has developed properties in pristine locations all over the world. One can claim they have disturbed sensitive environments around the world with the development of their resorts. I really don’t have a problem with that, but pretending you are green by suggesting we should not send our magazine is ridiculous.

First of all, paper is very recyclable and probably not as recyclable as the detergents and cleaning solvents the Club Med and other hoteliers use to run their operations. Let’s not forget about the waste these resorts create, often in countries and places where they can hardly deal with the volume.

Again, there has to be a balance. On the Club Med website, one can clearly receive a paper brochure, and I am sure they have solicited some of their clientele with wood pulp-based products.

Green is great, but let’s not use it as an excuse for everything we do (or have done), but for truly green reasons. At GT we do recycle old magazines, papers and whatever we can. Also, we may fly all around the world (and planes have the least effect on the environment than nearly any other form of travel), but all of us at WHQ and in New York drive very little. I put about 10,000 miles a year on my car, far less than the national average.

Pushing the idea of the green initiative further, my favorite, and I have also written about this before, are the magazines that put “Please recycle this magazine” in the masthead. They use the recycle symbol, fooling people to think the magazine is printed on recycled paper — what a scam! Why don’t they use recycled paper? Because it is considerably more expensive.

Green means not wasting, and I think I am a champ at that!

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

A few months ago I wrote about one of my favorite signs of the coming of spring: the opening of local farmers’ markets. Throughout the growing season, we make it a point nearly weekly to stop by one of these purveyors of locally grown produce, plants and other food stuffs to take advantage of this source of the  freshest, often organically produced makings for a great meal.

This weekend we are visiting family in Portland, and so we were sure to schedule time Saturday morning to visit one of our favorite of these, Beaverton, Oregon’s Farmers’ Market. Located on a large city parking lot adjacent to the beautiful city library and tree-filled park in the heart of the historic old town, the market is a feast for the senses every Saturday from early May to the end of October (and Wednesday afternoons, as well).  I always encourage visitors to Portland to stop in and check it out. Located in what was once a sleepy farm town but is now better known, among other things, as the home of Nike’s world headquarters, the market is easily reached from downtown Portland on TriMet’s Max Red Line light rail train.

Although yesterday was the morning of the Fourth of July, all of the usual vendors were in place, and the aisles between their booths and tables were filled with appreciative buyers. As we arrived, the sounds of Beaverton’s Community Band playing a rousing version of “Bill Bailey” floated towards us. A different musical group is booked each Saturday, and one can enjoy everything from a classical string quartet to a country-western band as one strolls the aisles. The kettle corn announced itself to our nostrils well before we spied the big copper kettle popping the stuff. The delicious aroma of freshly picked strawberries tempted us to stop at several farm booths, and their displays of raspberries and blueberries as well created a colorful and patriotic reminder of the holiday. Between the tables piled with all manner of fruits and vegetables, the buckets of bright blooms and planters bursting with common and unusual annuals and perennials,  every color imaginable was represented.

Unlike some weekend markets, the focus here is on regionally grown, raised, harvested and produced food and drink and plants (both ornamental and edible) — no sharing of the space with sellers of jewelry, pottery, photographs or woodworking. But if you want wild mushrooms, a nice Merlot, organic milk in glass bottles, sheep cheese, herbs, unique perennials, salmon or halibut, walnuts, hazelnuts, dozens of varieties of vegetables and fruits (picked early that morning), a lovely mixed bouquet of flowers, wonderful fresh bread and pastries, preserves, goat meat, clams and oysters, honey — then you’ve come to the right place.

 It’s always hard to limit our purchases to what we truly need for just the next few days or what I can reasonably squeeze into my remaining garden space. On this day I did succumb to the siren’s call of several gallon-sized perennials at a bargain price and one unique hydrangea for the flower beds at my new home. We also chose an enormous head of lettuce without a single bruised leaf, a bunch of tender green onions and a pound of rhubarb for less than four dollars. Thankfully, we can look forward to several more visits to this market in particular and similar (though smaller) markets in our own town from now until late fall in order to satisfy our yen for such wonderful treats. Be sure to check out the farmers’ markets in your area soon; you’ll be supporting sustainable agriculture and providing yourself with a treat for your tastebuds and your other senses as well.

–Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Yesterday my husband and I ventured just a few miles from our home in Rogue River, Ore., to visit a treasure in our valley: Pholia Farm. Named after Vern and Gianaclis Caldwell’s two daughters, Phoebe and Amelia, the farm is home to a herd of Nigerian dwarf dairy goats who produce the milk which goes into Gianaclis’ amazing handcrafted raw-milk aged cheeses.

 It was a chilly but bright, sunny morning as we were greeted by Gianaclis’ mother in the tasting room, housed in the large building which also encompasses the indoor pens, milking parlor, cheesemaking production and aging rooms. The land on which the farm sits has been in the family for three generations, but the Caldwells have only been selling their cheese for the last three years or so. We were introduced to 15-year-old Amelia, a delightful young lady who gave us a tour of the operation and information about the goats and the cheesemaking process. It was Amelia’s 4-H project begun several years ago that has led the entire family to today’s production of artisanal cheeses.

The farm operates entirely off-grid, with electricity provided by solar panels and a micro-hydro turbine powered by the seasonal creek that runs through the property. Clearly the Caldwells have made deliberate choices to develop a sustainable business and lifestyle. The goats browse on natural forage daily supplemented by locally grown hay; and the milking does eat wet brewers grain, procured from Wild River Brewery just up the road in Grants Pass (which also provides ales used in the production of some of the cheeses). Elk, deer, foxes, wild turkeys and the occasional bear or cougar wander through the property, but the herd is ably protected by three beautiful Anatolian shepherds, a breed developed over the centuries to serve as livestock guardians living day and night alongside their charges. Retired milkers and kids that won’t be used to sustain the herd are adopted out as pets. In addition to producing fantastic cheeses (and goat-milk soaps), Gianaclis offers cheesemaking classes, and the farm’s Web site provides a wealth of information on cheesemaking and goat-raising.

All of the attention to detail and love and care showered on the goats is manifest in the cheeses Pholia Farm produces. Nigerian dwarfs provide milk that is higher in butterfat and protein than other goat milks (more akin to sheep’s milk), resulting in cheeses that may be aged without developing a strong “goaty” flavor. Because this breed does not breed seasonally, there is a constant supply of milk, providing for year-round cheese production of under 200 pounds per month. Different cheeses are produced during each season, however, influenced by the natural foods available to the goats and conditions such as humidity and temperature during the aging process.

We tasted the Evans Creek Greek, a creamy feta, and the Hillis Peak, a semi-firm cheese aged six to eight months whose rind was rubbed with olive oil and Spanish paprika. It has a pleasing taste that lingers long on the tongue. Later in the day we picked up Pholia’s Elk Mountain (currently sold out at the farm but available at Rogue Creamery–another great cheese producer), a dry, aged cheese whose strong, nutty flavor also carries notes of Wild River Brewery’s Honey Wheat Ale used to wash the rind during aging. This cheese was deservedly named to Wine Spectator’s 2008 list of ”100 Great Cheeses.”  We look forward to trying Pholia’s other offerings–Wimer Winter (later this winter) and Covered Bridge (summer).

For those who are concerned with “green living” and supporting producers who follow sustainable practices, Pholia Farm and the Caldwell family certainly meet that criteria while offering suberb cheeses. Living as I do just a few miles from the farm, whenever I bite into those lovely morsels I can also know that I am supporting a local farmer. It can’t get much better than that!

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

My first job out of college was 33 miles away from where I lived. Not only was it 33 miles, it was 33 miles straight north on I94 and I90, two of the most heavily congested expressways in the United States. Adding to that roadway resume was a two-year construction project on I94.

I had two options. I could leave early (like 6 a.m) and get to work in about 45 minutes or I could leave later (like 7 a.m.) and get to work in about two hours. Neither was a good option. Getting to work at 6:30 am, when I started at 9, was no better than sitting in traffic for two hours each morning.

The drive home was no better and often worse. The lowlight was a Valentine’s Day in the early 90s. In anticipation of a major snowstorm, I left work around 2 p.m. It was much worse than I had feared, as I finally arrived home six and a half hours later. I have done marathons (26.2 miles) in five hours, so this was an even slower pace than that.

I eventually bought a home about four blocks from work. Oh, how my life changed! I would make it home in 10 minutes — by leisurely walking. I could leave my home in the morning minutes before I needed to be at work. I could go home for lunch (or a nap). I would regularly attend the 7:30 a.m. management meetings with still wet hair, having woken up 18 minutes prior (I had this down to a science).

For the last four years, since leaving the newspaper, I have worked from home. Zero commute! This is nirvana.

All this came flooding back to me yesterday when my friend experienced a four-hour drive (which normally takes about 45 minutes). She got home late in the evening and was, naturally, a bit stressed.

I can’t even imagine how I managed that 33-mile trek. My life has improved in so many ways since I shortened, and then deleted, my commute. The average Chicagoan takes 35 minutes per commute. That means I get an extra hour every day. Additionally, I don’t have the stress that comes with such a commute.

I could promote myself as “green-friendly” since I don’t use any fuels without a commute. However, I will be honest — the zero commute is strictly for my pleasure and sanity.

I’d like to say I have accomplished so much with this extra time. On one hand, I have done little with this time. On the other hand, that is my entire point.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

I am a little tired of “going green,” as most companies just say it rather than do it! Here are a few examples:

- ADP Payroll Services: GT uses ADP, and they recently stopped sending us (and all companies) a year-to-date payroll by employee sheet (something that really is needed). This report can be sent by request as they are trying to be “green.” Then why do they send several payroll reports with multiple sheets that say “This page intentionally left blank”?

- Travel + Leisure magazine: They print a small recycle logo with “Please recycle this magazine” under their masthead. When I first saw the recycle symbol, I was wowed that they were using recycled paper, but then I looked closely and noticed they were not. I thought this was a little misleading and took advantage of the people who really try to go green. For those not in the printing and publishing business, recycled paper is considerably more expensive, as much as 30 percent more.

- Our own printer: They tried to send us our bills via email. I put a stop to that. I am not spending my time, paper and ink printing these out for them. Imagine me in Hong Kong, Rome or Barcelona, trying to remember to print and mail all this stuff when I return. Their green efforts were not very green for me!

- A major hotel chain: They requested only one copy of Global Traveler be sent to them for all their staff. Once received, it would be passed around from person to person because they are going green. Well, that is great, but we are a printed magazine and limiting our access to decision-makers is simply unfair. Imagine if I said they could only have one hotel in each city as we thought it was wasteful otherwise!

Recycling is a good thing, but being a recycling Nazi or abusing the trend when you are really doing nothing is wrong.

Print is here to stay; readers like it. There is something about the feel of print, kicking back and reading a book or magazine on the train, plane or beach. Electronic media does not have the same pass-along quality; it is not as random. And the random nature of reading a magazine or newspaper opens one to other areas of interest.

I hate to inform my bloggy readers, but the electronic world has not created a paperless office, it has created more paper! Letters that would have been written once now have drafts upon drafts — this includes important emails as well. Years and years ago, when executives had secretaries, letters were drafted and revised less often. The electronic means of creating letters (computers) has created even more revisions and more paper.

The good thing is that all this paper can be recycled, if properly sorted. Jackie Adam has started a recycling bin in our office, and I should contribute more. New York City is a champion of recycling. As long as newspapers and magazines are bundled together and separated, they are recycled, and many are turned into the famous NYC pizza boxes.

So, go green, but mean it. Recycle, it works. But, above all, don’t be a green abuser!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO