Problem solving is what the earth needs more of these days and that is exactly what Stephen Baker of Greenline Paper Company provides. In 1992, Steve learned of the destruction happening in the world's rainforests and decided to do something about it.

In an economy voracious for paper, Steve took off with the entrepreneurial spirit that runs in his family and started a business to provide paper products without the environmental damage that typically comes with them. Greenline Paper Company was off and running with a startup of just a few thousand dollars.

First Steve researched recycling by visiting a landfill and recycling facility in York, Pennsylvania. He was appalled to discover that the local landfill was the second highest elevation in the county, surpassed only by the local ski resort. But that only strengthened his motivation to succeed.

Steve looks at the paper industry as one of the most environmentally damaging industries in existence. Therefore, he believes, any increased use of earth-friendly paper products results in a real and positive effect on the environment, from saving landfill space to conserving forest resources to reducing toxic chemicals and pollutants.

"Greenline Paper," he says, "is here to prove the point that people can live sustainably."

After his epiphany at the landfill, Steve visited many businesses in town, talking about paper use, solid waste issues, recycling and "closing the loop" with recycled products. Clearly, he's persuasive because many of those businesses are still Greenline customers today, along with thousands of other business offices, government agencies, institutions, schools and individuals.

Greenline is dedicated to selling recycled content products and carries none with 100% virgin pulp. It provides all kinds of paper and paper products, from business supplies to organizational materials to toilet paper and tissue. With quality a crucial consideration to Greenline's clients, every product is scrutinized before being accepted, to ensure it meets customer expectations.

In growing the market for green products, Steve intends to create an incentive for the paper industry to do things the ecological way. "If we set up the systems now," he says, "ecological papermaking systems can become the standard operational procedure for future generations."

With the evolution in recycled paper demand, Greenline must constantly change and evolve, riding the ups and downs of an unstable economy while at the same time focusing on long-term profitability and success. The fact that in 2002 Greenline Paper Company celebrated its 10th anniversary makes clear the staying power of the problem-solving Steve Baker brings to both recycled paper and the environment.

Visit Greenline Paper Company's website.

- Cathy Proscia and Susan Kinsella
May 2003