Never underestimate the reader’s intelligence or overestimate his information level. – Well-known journalism saying
Writing Quote of the Month (March 2018)
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Author Archives: Dalya Massachi
The Lighter Side (March 2018)
Like a bit of humor about writing and language? Me too. This one is from Mark Litzler, the cartoonist who illustrated my 2011 book, Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact.
Green Scene: All About Recycled Paper
We have learned how using the right language can engage readers and potential collaborators as well as influence other changemakers to take action. But some of the more tangible aspects of our organizations can also reflect just how committed we are to making a difference.
There’s one often-overlooked tool that we use to fundraise, market, and grow our organizations: paper. Unless you are entirely digital and never print anything, you will have to use some dead trees at some point.
My friend Carolina Miranda, founder of Cultivating Capital, has generously allowed us to share much of her article, Making Good Purchasing Decisions for Recycled Paper. The article includes useful tips and information on how we can become more environmentally responsible, while still getting our messages across. Please see below:
The key when buying your paper is to make sure that it clearly specifies that it has ‘post-consumer waste.’
Let’s start with some basics. Here’s a quick rundown of the terms that you might find on a package of copy paper:
- Recycled – this is an easy one: When paper is recycled and turned back into paper, we refer to that as recycled paper. This is in contrast to virgin paper that is made exclusively from trees and has no recycled content.
- Post-consumer waste (PCW) – this refers to paper that has reached the end consumers (all of us who are using paper and then tossing it in our recycle bins) and then been turned back into paper. Paper that contains post-consumer waste (PCW) will clearly state it.
- Recyclable – this is the sneakiest of the paper industry’s marketing ploys. They label their paper as either being recyclable or made from recyclable materials in order to intentionally mislead consumers into thinking that they’re buying a product made from recycled content. Basically, they’re just telling you that paper is recyclable – that it can be recycled – but we already know that!
- Processed chlorine-free/unbleached – this means that bleach was not used to make the paper white. The ubiquitous white copy paper that we find in every office has traditionally required bleach in order to give it its white appearance. However, using bleach is not good for the environment, and now there are papers that are processed without bleach.
The Lighter Side (January 2018)
Like a bit of humor about writing and language? Me too. This one is from Mark Litzler, the cartoonist who illustrated my 2011 book, Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact.
The 7 Banned Words – Um, Remember Freedom of Speech?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made it clear last month that to ensure their funding stream, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is best advised to avoid 7 words in their vocabulary: “fetus,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “vulnerable,” “evidence-based,” and “science-based.”
Really? Come on now, folks. There is simply no excuse for asking anyone to “tone down” their documents by erasing parts of the English language. Some call this a “ban”, while others term it a “recommendation”. Either way, it’s simply “very problematic.”
Of course, none of us can tolerate censorship of our work. And those of us dealing with critical social issues — such as healthcare or human rights or the environmental crisis or poverty — need every word at our disposal to help us make the world a better place. Even in business writing, which is often thought of as dry and painful, we writers have the right to express ourselves fully (creatively, even).
I was heartened to read about The Human Rights Campaign’s response to the Trump Administration’s dictate; the organization projected all 7 words onto the entrance to the Trump International Hotel in Washington, along with the words “we will not be erased.”
As writers, let’s instead use our erasers (or delete buttons) to make sure our words are clear, concise, and meaningful: to say whatever needs to be said, no matter what.
