Empowering Women Network: Celebrating Women’s History Month

The role of women in history has often been overlooked, and Women’s History Month celebrates the forgotten contributions that women have made for this country. Women’s History Month encourages activities in schools, communities, and workplaces to remind the population of the important role women have played in the development of the country, and hopes to inspire great things for the future.

In 1987, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the existing National Women’s History Week into a month, which is now celebrated in March. The theme for 2009 will be “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet” and will honor those who have shown a leadership role in the environmental movement. The theme last year was “Women’s Art: Women’s Vision” which honored women in the arts for their originality, imagination, and vision.

Women’s History Month can be celebrated in many ways. Schools can be asked to acknowledge Women’s History Month through activities, essays, or art contests to make students aware of the commemoration. Women’s History Month promotional materials can be contributed to schools, libraries, or bookstores. Local papers can be encouraged to feature community programs that celebrate Women’s History Month. Participating in the Live Your Dreams Campaign art contest is another example of how to celebrate Women’s History Month. This contest challenges students from Kindergarten to 12th grade to draw a special woman and to artistically express why she inspires them.

The Live Your Dreams Campaign was commenced in conjunction with International Women’s Day (March 8th) and both recognize and celebrate women’s achievements. Liveyourdreamcampaign.org inspires women to live their dreams and encourages them to pass on their good fortune to others. It is sponsored by Soroptimist International of the Americas which is a volunteer organization that improves the lives of women and girls internationally.

International Women’s Day is commemorated throughout the world as an occasion to acknowledge women’s struggles and celebrate their many accomplishments. Many women organization recognize and celebrate women’s achievements and inspires women to live their dreams and encourages them to pass on their good fortune to others.

Grace Enderlein is a freelance writer and editor. “Celebrating Women’s History Month” notes examples of how to commemorate Women’s History Month. Liveyourdreamcampaign.org sponsors an art contest for children in honor of the month.

Backer Paper on Heat Transfer Paper Sometimes Becomes Tinted Yellow

Why is the backer paper on my laser heat transfer tinted yellow?

With some laser printers the yellow toner migrates through the heat transfer coating and leaves the base paper with a yellow image. This can also occur with magenta as the predominant color that migrates. Which colors will migrate is laser printer/copier specific. More often all four colors leave a slight tint on the base sheet. When it is all four colors or isn’t too strong it is usually not noticed or commented on. Although the printer/copier causes this to occur it is because of the heat in the transfer process that the color is driven into the base paper.

Most of the time the yellow and pink are not a problem in the finished garment. If the color on the garment is correct ignore any color on the base paper. If the color is not deep enough, gradually increase the color density. This is done with adjustments to the color with the printer driver and computer software. Since this condition is specific to each printer/copier it will occur reproducibly and once the corrective conditions are identified they can be duplicated for all prints.

Another possibility is yellow or any other color appearing outside the image area. This is known as toner scatter and can be any color including black. This is more likely to affect the appearance of the image on the garment, because white areas will have some color. This can be addressed with new cartridges if this is a new problem. Another possibility is to use a product that resists the toner scatter. TECHNI-PRINT® 4.0 was created to resist toner scatter.

Mike Matosky has worked with heat transfer products for more than 10 years, and this article is written in response to questions directed to www.tshirtsupplies.com, “Your Source for Heat-Transfer Supplies” about achieving true colors using heat transfer paper.

Why Buy Recycled Paper and Tree-Free Paper?

Many people wonder, “Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper?” Both recycled and tree-free paper use less materials, and energy to produce an abundance of quality paper and paper products. They also reduce the devastation on the environment. Tree-free paper especially eliminates the need to cut down trees to produce paper.

Why Buy Recycled Paper and Tree-free Paper?
You may wonder, “Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper?” According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making paper from recycled materials produces 74 percent less air pollution and 35 percent less water pollution. When you ask yourself, “Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper?” it’s important to realize that using recycled paper helps save valuable natural resources in our forests and reduces the paper waste filling up our already over crowed landfills.
Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper? Because recycled and tree-free paper work just as well as virgin paper. They’re used in many homes and offices for printing, faxing, copying and other administrative duties. In order for paper to be considered recycled, the government currently requires that it contain at least 30 percent recycled material.

The Benefits of Recycled and Tree-free Paper
When consumers use 100 percent recycled paper, they automatically use less chlorine. Chlorine produces Dioxin, a dangerous chemical that studies show can lead to cancer in people and wildlife. Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper? Because they can lead to a healthier environment for everyone.

Tree-free Paper Alternatives
The production of tree-free paper is another step toward decreasing deforestation. Tree-free paper is not made from tree fiber. Plant fibers derived from hemp, kenaf, cotton, sugarcane, flax and many other easy to grow agricultural plants may be used instead of trees. Right now tree-free paper is considered the most environmentally friendly paper available.

Reduced Chemicals Mean Reduced Pollutants
Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper? Since products made from tree-free paper can be made from other plant sources instead of trees, fewer chemical are needed to break down and separate the paper fibers from the plant. They are usually chlorine-free, and some brands are even pesticide-free. Fewer industrial chemicals mean a cleaner environment. Trees can take anywhere from seven to 20 years to grow while it only takes about 10 weeks to grow the plants needed for tree-free paper.

Why Buy Recycled paper and tree-free paper? Environmental Solutions
So when you ask, “Why buy recycled paper and tree-free paper?” One answer to consider is the fact that it significantly cuts down on the depletion of our natural resources and contributing to overfilled landfills, and environmental pollution. Buying recycled and tree-free paper is a big step in the right direction.

Kimberly Ben is a full-time freelance writer in Atlanta, Georgia currently working on GreenLine Paper. GreenLine Paper provides quality recycled and tree-free paper products while remaining dedicated to creating a greener future