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On average, each kilowatt hour of energy represents the emission of approximately two pounds of CO2. To put that in perspective, consider the Empire State Building's 37 million cubic feet of space. The combined emissions of U.S. papermaking, datacenters and client energy demand alone would fill over 100 Empire State Buildings with solidified CO2 (dry ice) each year. Each cubic foot of dry ice weighs approximately 100 pounds.

The Carbon Footprint of the iPhone

It is currently difficult to discover carbon footprints. However, according to information recently released by Apple, the lifecycle carbon footprint of an iPhone is responsible for the emission of 121 pounds of CO2-equivalent green house gas emissions over the course of a three-year expected lifetime of use, the same amount produced by 12, 100-watt light bulbs glowing for 691 hours, or a car engine burning 603 gallons of gasoline. Though it is not a direct comparison, it is interesting to note that Discover magazine estimates the lifecycle carbon footprint of each copy of its publication is responsible for 2.1 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the same amount produced by 12, 100-watt light bulbs glowing for an hour, or a car engine burning 14 ounces of gasoline.

Over the next few years it can be expected that lifecycle data and the carbon labeling of all products will move from the margins to the mainstream. In part this will be due to the high priority that the current administration in Washington has placed on carbon cap and trade legislation, and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, there is already broad support for voluntary initiatives such as the Carbon Disclosure Project and Carbon Trust labeling initiative.

Research has shown that all things being equal, consumers prefer product with smaller carbon footprints. If that's true for other products, why not for print and digital media?

Business, government and day-to-day life depend on both print and digital media to a greater extent than is commonly realized, but neither is without its pluses and minuses. Members of the digital generation might not know enough to care if print goes the way of the slide rule, but they are unlikely to welcome arguments for reinventing print and keeping it in the mix if they are confronted by righteous indignation about the inherent greenness of print as it is today. Better to acknowledge the negative aspects of print then ask critics to consider the metastizing carbon footprint of digital media and encourage them to envision a near term future in which both media supply chains collaborate to become more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.

Paint a picture of sustainable data centers and green printing facilities. Discuss how both print and digital media could be powered by advanced paper mills called integrated biorefineries that turn agricultural waste, waste paper, dedicated energy crops, algae and sustainably harvested trees into energy, biofuels, biopolymer toner, renewable chemical feedstocks and paper. Not only would this increase U.S. energy security, it would create green collar jobs and address climate change at the same time.

Small Things Add Up, But Big Things Add Up Faster

We can not achieve sustainability by asking consumers to change light bulbs, drive hybrids and recycle alone. And we can't achieve sustainability by decreasing the diversity of media options that serve as our collective memory.

Whether you choose print or digital, anyone who lives in the U.S. contributes more than twice as much greenhouse gas as the global average. Considering that we represent about 5 percent of the world's population, and that billions in the developing world emulate our lifestyle, it becomes even more important to avoid simple answers or ignore inconvenient truths. We have an opportunity and an obligation to reinvent both print and digital media. We must also be realistic about the limited effects of small individual or voluntary actions.

It's time for consumers and producers of media to recognize that we share a common fate that can only be sustainable if we work together to make both print and digital sustainable. Toward that end, the Institute for Sustainable Communication welcomes your support, comments, questions and suggestions for positive steps we can take together. Join the conversation at www.greenmediaconnect.com.

Don Carli is a senior research fellow with The Institute for Sustainable Communication.