Eclectic Northeast – July 2019

July 2019 │ │ 61

The Green Buzz
It is true that now is the best time for Elrhino to shine
with people waking up to environment conservation.
‘24 fully grown trees, 40 feet tall, are required to
produce one ton of paper. This is the industry statistic;
the number varies by paper and tree type, of course.
The bottom line is, paper is a very wood intensive
industry. There are several paper conglomerates
who grow their own forests, such as in Indonesia, for
supplying wood to the paper industry. It is a matter of
time before this industry starts to get called out, like
the palm oil industry, for destroying native vegetation
and creating ecological imbalance with fast growing,
thirsty species for industrial purposes. There is no
doubt about it from any rational lens – tree based paper
is deeply damaging to the environment. There are
only two ways to mitigate this: reduce consumption
of paper (and for that matter, just reduce consumption
overall – stop buying, wasting, discarding, buying
again!) and switch to tree free paper.’
But even though people are starting to talk about
the environment, they still haven’t taken their role in
conservation seriously, especially in the Northeast.
‘I just don’t see people in the region talking about
sustainability in a way that is popular or trendy
or viral. We are blessed with abundance, and a
largely committed forest force. It appears that these
specialists are held accountable while civil society
largely assumes the privilege to judge them. Even in
the context of conservation, a narrower concept than
sustainability, the problem is common. I just don’t see
young opinion leaders talking about sustainability
or conservation – whether it be man-animal conflict,
human rights, responsible tourism. So many young
people have approached us for internships saying they
love animals, but they aren’t willing to put in the slog

to research some data – involvement largely begins

and ends at armchair activism. There are exceptions

of course. But I long to see the day we witness the

emergence of a pro-conservation movement among

the Northeastern youth – not set in the forest, but in

our pubs, picnic spots, offices and college canteens,

where the cool people hang out. We need role models

and ambassadors to mainstream this mindset.’

In the coming years, Elrhino has big plans for

community interventions in villages around wildlife

sanctuaries. ‘We are looking for an idealistic, energetic,

sharp project lead–someone with an entrepreneurial

mindset. If somebody reading this fits the bill, do get

in touch! On the paper front – we’re constantly making

new and interesting paper, and we are always, always

on the lookout for consultant graphic and products

designers. Find us!’

Photos: Elrhino