quit rubbin' your butt with our forests

ok... so it's not breaking news that our forests have long been under seige so that our tender tushies and button noses have something soft to rub up against... what is new(ish) is the expanding choices we have that can make our forests safe(r) and our heinies happy!

if you're feeling like this is a lost cause, think of it this way...

facial tissue
if every household in the United States replaced just one box of virgin fiber facial tissues (175 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 163,000 trees.

toilet paper
if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees.

paper towels
if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees.

napkins
if every household in the United States replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins (250 count) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees.

so what can you do? i'm so glad you asked!

the natural resources defense council has a few suggestions...

1. buy paper products with recycled content -- especially post-consumer fibers.
2. buy paper products made with clean, safe processes.
3. tell tissue manufacturers to stop using virgin wood for throwaway products. (you can send kimberly clark a shout-out on the subject!)

while the nrdc site has full lists of the best (and worst) paper products, it also has a handy wallet card that provides an on-the-go guide.