Overview
Of the Listening Study
What
the Listening Study Is
What
the Listening Study Is Not
Goals
of the Listening Study
Process
of the Listening Study
Caveat:
Statements in Listening Study compilations reflect
beliefs, opinions, experience and expertise. Some of
the technical statements conflict. Even these differences
are important.
Terms
of Use
What
the Listening Study Is
-
A representation of the broad range of perspectives
on many of the most contentious arguments or questions
regarding environmental papers today,
- An
opportunity for all sides to "listen" to the others,
to hear why opponents believe their point of view
cannot be ignored,
-
A place for laying arguments on the issues "side-by-side"
so that each proponent has a more complete understanding
of others' thinking, especially some of the nuances
that often escape notice,
- A
potential for unraveling and discussing "knots" -
arguments that have become so heated they're almost
"black holes," with each side frequently
unable to hear the others,
-
A belief that rational presentation of views and perspectives
will help sift through opposing arguments to find
reliable foundations for building resolution,
- A
belief that many of those interested in these questions
have not had sufficient access to the wealth of knowledge
and studies that underlie perspectives on many of
these questions.
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What
the Listening Study Is Not
- A
popularity contest. A position stated by many respondents
suggests that it is widespread and essential to consider
in any deliberations, but it does not automatically
mean it is the "right" one,
- A
definitive study pointing to the "right" answer. In
fact, the "right" answer might turn out to be a composite
of two or more listed here, or something that no one
has yet identified.
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Goals
of the Listening Study
- Provide
as complete a picture as possible for each issue,
in order to get everyone "on the same page" about
how others are thinking and why they're arguing their
points,
- Pinpoint
where the obstacles are to environmental paper development
and clarify what steps could to be taken next towards
either resolution or more resolution-oriented discussions
between parties affected,
- Develop
more paths of communication between those with differing
opinions,
- Develop
consensus on specific issues when possible,
- Catalyze
research, technical development, education programs
and discussions to help resolve issues and move environmental
paper development forward,
-
Provide thorough data sets for discussing issues,
-
Get people talking about environmental paper issues,
-
Let people hear the whole conversation - most don't
have the opportunity to ask all these questions of
people at paper mills, printers, environmental groups,
and more.
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Process
of the Listening Study
Through
document research, interviews, and comments, the Listening
Study will provide brief, balanced synopses of the comments
received on each of the questions in the study, followed
by the specific quotes and comments, identified as the
commenters wished to be identified (including without
identification). For each question, based on these comments,
we will assign a status indicating whether the issue
is an obstacle for reasons that are:
- developmental,
e.g. incomplete system development,
- economic,
e.g. investment, capitalization, economies of scale,
geographic,
- technical,
e.g. need for new research or technical development,
testing,
- cognitive,
e.g. misunderstandings, educational needs,
- value-driven,
e.g. differing views of appropriate actions, evaluation
of competing needs,
- political,
e.g. governmental and global issues.
The
intent of this Listening Study is not to take sides
nor to make or guide purchasing decisions. Rather, it
is based on the belief that if issues can be sorted
out and at least their parameters agreed to, some will
prove themselves resolvable and others will indicate
reasonable courses of action. Still others may remain
contentious, but opposing sides may better understand
what these issues hold at stake and why agreement is
so difficult.
Overall,
the hope is that this Listening Study can create a level
of understanding of the issues that can then lead to
productive courses of action, priority-setting, conflict
resolution, collaboration between formerly opposing
sides, fruitful discussions, and a better comprehension
of requirements and components for a future environmentally
sustainable paper production system.
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CAVEAT:
Statements in Listening Study compilations reflect beliefs,
opinions, experience and expertise. Some of the technical
statements conflict. Even these differences are important.
Much
of the technical information reported in the Listening
Study is cutting-edge. Still, some statements may represent
information that others consider debatable or inaccurate,
some statements may represent outdated but still cited
studies (although older studies may well still represent
currenty reliable information), some may change with
new information, and some may be addressing different
aspects of similar questions. These differences are
important to record as part of sorting out what information
needs to be clarified. Readers should evaluate technical
statements by date (when relevant and available), by
source and by comparison to other information available,
as well as recognize that there may be a need for more
definitive technical information on some questions.
In
particular, readers should keep in mind that this is
not a study to determine ultimate answers. Rather, it
intends to lay out the wide range of perspectives, knowledge
and beliefs that must be taken into account in order
to answer or resolve the questions. Please read the
whole presentation on a question in order to evaluate
as complete a picture as possible.
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Terms
of Use
We
want people to use and comment on the information compiled
in the Listening Study. Individual quotes, of course,
are owned by the person making them. The compilation
of information in the Listening Study is copyrighted
by Conservatree. You may freely circulate it to others
for not-for-profit use, as long as it continues to be
clearly identified with Conservatree's Listening Study
and contains Conservatree's copyright, but you may not
use it for profit in any way without the express written
permission of Conservatree.
The
images used on this website were obtained from IMSI's
MasterClips and MasterPhotos Premium Image Collection,
75 Rowland Way, Novato, CA 94945, USA and may not be
downloaded or used in another format or on another site.
We
welcome links from other sites to the Paper Listening
Study website. However, links may not "capture"
Listening Study pages in frames or other methods that
can make it appear to exist on another website, without
the express written permission of Conservatree. If you
link to this site, we would appreciate your letting
us know.
Users
may not use this website's material on either personal
or commercial websites, or in databases or other compilations,
without the express written permission of Conservatree.
Users
agree not to use this website's material for illegal
purposes, or on pages containing illegal material. Users
agree not to hold Conservatree liable for any damages
resulting from proper or improper use of the material
on this website.
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