It's that time of year again. The holiday season is quickly approaching, and with the holiday gatherings comes a celebrated exchange of food, gifts and, unfortunately, germs. It's a great time to rethink our habits when it comes to paper use, especially when it comes to cleaning up that spilt eggnog and relieving that runny nose. There are some very basic things we can do to eliminate paper product use around the holidays:
+ Keep cloth towels handy around the kitchen to clean up spills in place of paper towels.
+ Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
+ Avoid using one-time use paper plates, cups, and bowls.
+ Carry a handkerchief instead of using facial tissue (and wash it regularly).
+ Use recycled newspaper for gift wrapping. Many types of commercial wrapping paper are not recyclable due to dyes, laminate coatings, and other non-fibrous materials used in their production.
When paper products cannot be avoided, there are consumer decisions we can make that have real impacts on the environment. Dr. Jeff Wells of the Canadian Boreal Songbird Initiative recently reported that consumer products contribute to the loss of 2 - 3 million acres of virgin boreal forest ANNUALLY. And that means habitat loss for breeding birds, not to mention all the other inhabitants of the boreal forest. When buying paper products, choosing recycled paper is the first step in reducing our impact on the boreal forest.
While shopping for paper products, look for brands such as 365 and Seventh Generation (100% recycled and have high post consumer fiber content), and avoid brands such as Kleenex, Bounty, and Scott. For a full list of recommended products (and products to avoid) see this "Shop Smart, Save Birds" shopping guide (courtesy the Boreal Songbird Initiative).
+ Keep cloth towels handy around the kitchen to clean up spills in place of paper towels.
+ Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
+ Avoid using one-time use paper plates, cups, and bowls.
+ Carry a handkerchief instead of using facial tissue (and wash it regularly).
+ Use recycled newspaper for gift wrapping. Many types of commercial wrapping paper are not recyclable due to dyes, laminate coatings, and other non-fibrous materials used in their production.
When paper products cannot be avoided, there are consumer decisions we can make that have real impacts on the environment. Dr. Jeff Wells of the Canadian Boreal Songbird Initiative recently reported that consumer products contribute to the loss of 2 - 3 million acres of virgin boreal forest ANNUALLY. And that means habitat loss for breeding birds, not to mention all the other inhabitants of the boreal forest. When buying paper products, choosing recycled paper is the first step in reducing our impact on the boreal forest.
While shopping for paper products, look for brands such as 365 and Seventh Generation (100% recycled and have high post consumer fiber content), and avoid brands such as Kleenex, Bounty, and Scott. For a full list of recommended products (and products to avoid) see this "Shop Smart, Save Birds" shopping guide (courtesy the Boreal Songbird Initiative).
2 comments:
great post! I think we are making cloth napkins for christmas gifts this year to encourage our families!
Kevin,
Thanks! That's a great idea! Let us know how it works out.
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