Reducing Our Use of Trees
We can all do our part to use a fairer and more sustainable share of the Earth’s resources, taking action to preserve forests every day in our homes, with our friends and colleagues, and in our communities. Suggested First Steps:
USE CLOTH NAPKINS AND DISHTOWELS and forget about the paper versions forever.
USE CLOTH SHOPPING BAGS - They’re lightweight, collapsible, and can hang out in your car or slip inside a backpack without taking up too much room until you need them at the grocery store or other retail establishment.
WRAP ALL GIFTS IN REUSABLE MATERIALS (cloth scraps, scarves, or cloth bags) or in waste paper (newspaper comics, brown paper bags, etc.) that will then be recycled.
BRING REUSABLE CONTAINERS TO RESTAURANTS for take-out, instead of relying on their disposable paper and plastic containers.
ELIMINATE JUNK MAIL - Call or write to catalogs, nonprofits, magazines, and other companies and ask them not to share your name. When you do receive junk mail, call the company and ask it to remove your name from its list. Contact the Direct Marketing Association (www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html) to remove yourself from as many lists as possible.
PAY YOUR BILLS ONLINE - Most credit cards and many utilities now offer online payment options that can help you reduce your use of envelopes, checks, and paper bills. If online billing isn’t an option, or if you prefer to receive paper invoices for your records, you can call your credit card company and ask it to stop including junk-mail “inserts” with your statement.
RECYCLE ALL WASTE PAPER - If your town doesn’t offer curbside pick-up, find a recycling facility near you at www.earth911.org.
BUY RECYCLED OR TREE-FREE - whenever you must purchase a paper product, including computer paper, manila folders, sticky notes, toilet paper, etc. Every paper product you might need has a recycled or tree-free version available. This site has a directory of places to shop: www.ecobusinesslinks.com/recycled_paper.htm
