Welcome to Part 3 of Sustainability Superheroes in the world of manufacturing! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 so you can stay updated on all the exclusive news!

Today, our special guest is Suzanne Alvarez, Print and Packaging Specialist with C&D Print and Packaging Company, located in Pinellas Park, FL. For over 45 years, the company has been working with creative agencies and corporate businesses to bring their printing projects to life. They build lasting relationships with their customers, and consistently exceed their expectations. 
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Print and packaging plays a huge role in consumption and waste, so how does a well-established printing manufacturer with many clients take on the role of being environmentally friendly? Find out in this exclusive interview with Suzanne Alvarez who shares with us the inside scoop on her company’s issues, future plans, and other sustainable initiatives she’s working on!

​She says, “We now use all vegetable based inks and everything is all digital. We’ve been doing this for the last ten years, which is pretty impressive for this industry.” Sounds like a great accomplishment! We’re already off to a good start!

​Despite the sustainability efforts, Suzanne says there are still some harmful processes, like the UV process, which is quite toxic, but the company is doing what they can to avoid this. She says, “We’re using newer equipment for us and clients, but also for sustainability. At the same time it’s been costly on our part, so it’s kinda scary. You think, 'Oh let’s make this big investment,' and all you can do is hope it’s something that other people care about.”

However, C&D does have clients that call them specifically for the fact that they are an award-winning and sustainable company. Overall, it depends on the client and what they want. Sometimes, she’ll even try to negotiate with clients about what they want vs. what they need in order to produce and consume less.

​Suzanne’s company is continuing to find more ways to stay green, despite the many sustainable efforts they’re doing now. “We have started using an LED press. It uses a different kind of ink and drying process. Instead of ink drying on a sheet naturally over time, it is cured with LED lights on top of the paper,” Suzanne says. This removes the toxicity of the production, eliminates the drying powders they used in the past, and uses less paper. It’s also better for the workforce. Plus, the clients love it!

​Another sustainability initiative Suzanne mentioned was about clients making errors, which then creates more waste. But, C&D has a huge recycling program that helps with these mishaps. Suzanne and her company are always prepared!

One problem Suzanne and her company are currently dealing with is their estimating system, which uses too much paper. She says, “We’re working on using less paper wherever possible. I think there’s great room for improvement everywhere like the cups and plastic in offices. And whenever clients want to print and make things, I always ask them what it’s for and what’s your distribution?” 

In the future, Suzanne says she’s looking forward to hemp products coming into the market. The company recently started using hemp paper, which she hopes will go down in price in the future, so that more clients will consider using it for their print projects.

After reading about Suzanne Alvarez’s work or watching the videos, take this quiz and find out if you've got what it takes to be a sustainability superhero! If the quiz does work on this page, you can also take it here.

In this post, we use a Disney song from "Tangled" to engage students. Before students watch the clip, ask them to look for beautiful sights, sounds, and smells Rapunzel experiences when she touches the earth. 

After watching the clip, ask students what would happen if people started throwing trash on the ground. How could it impact people? How could it impact animals? How could it impact plants? Show students the image of trash on the beach and ask them to discuss the possible impacts to people, animals, and plants.

Learn About Human Impact on the Environment
Show the NSTA Generation Genius video. Tell students that while they watch the video, do a quick write/quick draw of things they can do to have a positive impact on the environment.

Create a PSA
Ask students to discuss some of the ways in which humans can have a positive impact. For more information, refer to the lesson plan on Generation Genius or have students conduct research online. Then, they can create a public service announcement in the form of a poster or video. If they choose video, the PSA should be less than one minute. For example, here are some sample PSAs.
 
Save a Tree With Three! (15 seconds)
Did you know that recycling a single three-foot stack of newspapers saves a tree? Now, imagine the forests we could save together. Learn more green tips at (website). This is a public service announcement from (Team Name). 
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Get Your Green On (:30-1:00)
Have you done something green yet today? If not, it’s time to get your green on. Recycle your trash. (Add more ideas here).  
Final sentence (Every day, we have the chance to make our planet a cleaner and greener place. Act locally and change the world by getting your green on!) Learn more at (website). This is a public service message from (Team Name). 

Show what you know!
Share the student posters and/or videos at school and with student families. For example, share some of these with morning news at school. Students can also ask their parents to share their creations to friends and family.

What is the problem with plastics? What made plastics turn from being the miracle container to hated garbage? You might have heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Watch the Trash Talk video by NOAA National Ocean Service to find out more about the problems with plastics in the oceans.

What did you discover? How does all of the plastic get into the ocean? What are some of the environmental and economic impacts of dumping plastic into the ocean? 

How do we solve this problem? This is a big problem that involves both producers and consumers. As a consumer, the best way to solve this problem is to lower your use of single use plastic. If you use single use plastic, make sure you deposit the containers in recycling bins. The worst possible decision is to throw your plastic on the ground, as you will discover in the TedEd video: The Life Cycle of a Plastic Bottle.

Before you watch, tell students that they will be hearing about the journeys of three plastic bottles. Ask students to take notes, documenting what happened to each of the bottles. 

What happened to the different bottles? So how does all of that plastic end up in the ocean? What can you do to educate people about the consequences of littering? 

Plastic bottles aren't the only single use plastic problem. Plastic is used extensively in packaging. What are some other ways we can reduce the amount of plastic? Put on your entrepreneurial thinking caps and join us in our Rethink Tank lesson. In this lesson, students learn about entrepreneurship and rethink the way things are made, used or disposed. They will examine current packaging problems we have that create a lot of waste. Then they will use design thinking to design a more sustainable solution. 

You can download a PowerPoint of the activity and the lesson below: