[Editor's note: OnEarth is partnering with the Green Edge Collaborative to bring you stories of local environmental events and personalities.  This post was first published in the GEC's newsletter, The Leaflet.] 

For nearly a decade, media professionals have been heralding the death of print. With newspapers going entirely digital and the arrival of fancy gadgets like Amazon's Kindle, it seems the time is nigh. But before you break out your biodegradable confetti, have a look around. People haven't packed away their paperbacks and the entrepreneur you met at last month's Green Drinks very likely handed you a business card. It's safe to say, print is not dead. Accepting that it's here to stay (at least for the foreseeable future), how do we minimize its effect on the environment? One Brooklyn press might have the answer.

Rolling Press sits, appropriately, next to a vacant-lot-turned-park created by New York Restoration Project (NYRP), a non-profit that funds green spaces in NYC. Inside its unassuming walls are shelves of recycled paper, a cozy office, and the heart of an eco-friendly printing company, a press that uses a chemical-free, tap water based printing process, along with soy and vegetable inks.

Although it didn't become a "clean" press until 2001, Rolling Press has over 30 years of experience. Co-founder, Kam Lee ran a print house out of the same building in the 1980's. Back then, printmakers took as much pride in their ability to withstand the chemicals used in the process, as they did the results. It wasn't until Kam's son, Eugene, took the helm that the business developed an environmental conscience. Eugene, a graduate of NYU, with a focus in graphic communications, spent many childhood summers learning the trade from his father. By the time he became an adult, he had also accumulated his fair share of hours cleaning plates with chemicals as caustic as cyanide. It's an experience he looks back on fondly, but would hardly want to revisit.

The idea of a having a clean press came about when a salesman from Presstek convinced Eugene to invest in a chemistry-free platemaker. Apprehensive at first, Eugene was converted when he discovered he could achieve the same quality printing as a conventional press, but without all the chemicals. That's when he decided to see just how clean he could go. He researched recycled papers, vegetable-based inks, and began using wind-powered electricity.

These days, Rolling Press works primarily with non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and greener companies. Some of its clients include NYRP, Queens Botanical Garden, AIGA, and Whole Foods Market. As experts in sustainable printing, their role often exceeds that of a traditional print house. They are also sustainable design consultants, helping clients make the right decisions for their projects as well as the environment.

Rolling Press is located at 15 Denton Place in Park Slope. They can be reached at (718) 625-6800 or by email: hello@rollingpress.com.

About the Author
Tishon is an independent graphic designer and art director living and working in Brooklyn. He's also a writer but won't be the first to tell you so. He maintains a design blog titled Design+Writing=Blog.