Penn State Gets FSC Certification

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is not just for West Coast in-plants. Penn State University’s Multimedia & Print Center (MPC) earned its FSC certification on May 13 and has been loading its presses and printers with environmentally responsible paper ever since.

The new certification is a part of a green initiative that’s happening across many Penn State campuses.

“It’s a part of being responsible for environmental purposes,” says MPC Project Coordinator Stacy Ostrofsky. “By making changes like this, we can help. It’s the right thing to do.”

The paper that MPC purchases will be inspected annually by a qualified auditor to ensure that it comes from responsibly managed forests. In-plant staff will label and organize it to keep it separate from noncertified paper. Many MPC employees have gone through training on how to handle and organize the paper.

Customers have the option to print the FSC logo on their pieces. MPC can also print and provide an Environmental Benefits Statement when using appropriate paper, which indicates how many trees, as well as how much water, energy, solid waste and greenhouse gasses were used to make the paper.

“This is a way that the university can have an impact on the environment through the use of printed projects,” Ostrofsky says.