Students at Ohio State are in the midst of a major campaign to pressure the University to commit to a sustainable paper purchasing policy. As a part of this campaign, the student organization Free The Planet! OSU participated in an international day of action against OfficeMax on Jan. 30. One of their demands was that OSU's president Gordon Gee cut contracts with companies whose paper products are sourced from First Nation Territory. Free The Planet! OSU has confirmed that Ohio State purchases forest products made from clear cuts in North America’s Boreal forest. They have further confirmed that OSU receives large amounts of paper products from the Grassy Narrows First Nation’s tradition territory in Ontario via university contracts with OfficeMax. The people of Grassy Narrows have called for an end to clear-cut logging within their traditional territory.

The Boreal Forest is one also of our first lines of defense against global warming. It provides critical habitat for many species, including endangered caribou and half of North America’s songbirds as well.

ACTION ITEM: Right now Free The Planet! OSU's campaign for a sustainable paper supply on campus at OSU is at a critical juncture and they need support to ensure that paper products coming from controversial sources such as Grassy Narrows will not be falsely considered "sustainable". In addition, the students are asking that OSU dramatically increase the use of post consumer recycled paper, ensure that all remaining virgin fiber is sourced from FSC-certified operations, and reduce overall paper use.

Contact president Gordon Gee and ask him to support sustainable paper and boycott Office Max. Write to him at 205 Bricker Hall, 190 N. Oval Mall, Columbus 43210, , or sign the petition.