Legacy Hardwoods works to restore Hawaii's koa trees. Photo courtesy Walczuk Productions.

The other day, I spotted a Hagadone van outside of our office, so I ran up to the driver and asked if I could give him the stack of magazines I've been saving to recycle. He happily obliged — and I've got another stack piling up already to recycle the next round.

If you've picked up a magazine, brochure,  campaign poster or post card on Oahu, it was probably printed by Hagadone Printing Co. of Honolulu, which was founded in 1995, and is today one of the most environmentally progressive printing companies in the industry.

What you may not know is that Hagadone is also playing a role in keeping koa trees alive through the Hawaiian Legacy Hardwood reforestation project. Hagadone's clients can purchase carbon-offset credits through its partner, natureOffice USA, for specific print jobs.

KTA Super Stores on the Big Island, for instance, pays for carbon offsets for its Super Saver Coupon Book (which, by the way, is printed on paper made with 20 percent recycled paper and envrionmentally friendly inks). Those carbon offsets go towards a reforestation project at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

The amount usually isn't a huge additional cost, according to Hagadone – it's less than 2 cents for an order of 250 business cards. Typically, the cost is within 0.5 to 1.5 percent of the total order. Hagadone just signed a deal last month to become natureOffice's exclusive partner in Hawaii.

By the way, if you've got magazines or brochures you want to recycle, you can drop them off  at Hagadone's recycling center (274 Puuhale Rd.) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays or 8 a.m. to noon on second Saturdays. You can also go to any Lex Brodie's during regular business hours on Oahu. Click here for a list of magazine recycling locations.

Hagadone Printing Co., which publishes practically every magazine and brochure on the island, offers a carbon offsetting program. Photo courtesy Hagadone.