Staples will be selling less trees in its store.

The office supply chain, found locally at 3003 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, will begin carrying Vanguard Recycled Plus, a 90 percent postconsumer waste paper sold by Living Tree Paper Co., next month.

Eco, a campus environmental group, protested outside the store as part of a national student protest in November.

“It was so clearly related to our on-campus paper project,” said Amy Gregory, general science and education junior and Eco co-coordinator.

The group has worked on a similar project to convince MSU to use 100 percent recycled paper since March 2001, and met with MSU President M. Peter McPherson to discuss the issue in October.

In that meeting, McPherson said he wouldn’t be opposed to trying a switch, but the Staples protest was met initially with more apathy, Peter Vertacnik said.

“Generally, first off there was a lot of hostility,” the Eco member and English senior said.

“People didn’t really know why we were here. A couple of people when they came out were more calm.”

But the strategy seems to have worked.

Staples spokesman Tom Nutile said the company’s decision was partially because of pressure from environmental groups.

“I will admit that that has had an influence on us,” he said. “But before we ever began talking to these environmental groups