Don’t be a paper towel junkie. Rethink. Retrain. Reduce.
From an article called “I Once Was a Junkie” by Lynn Hasselberger of Greenopolis
A paper towel junkie, that is. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. I blame it on genetics. My mom’s side of the family. A kitchen without paper towels? Impossible! And the paper towel holder? A must-have appliance… for who could live without the ability to unwind just the right number of squares with one hand while stirring the pot with the other? And the instant gratification of a spill–here one second, soaked up and tossed with ease into the garbage the next, as if it never even happened?
As I grew older and wiser, I became more and more conscious of my impact on the environment. It didn’t take an intervention to get me off of paper towels, just the knowledge that ancient and endangered forests are being destroyed to make paper towels (not to mention tissue paper, napkins and other disposable paper products). Plus this statistic from the National Resources Defense Council:
If every household in the US replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees.
But how does one live without paper towels, you may wonder. It’s a challenge. Especially if you grew up, like I did, with an endless supply of paper towels and just as many uses for them. But, with a little support, it can be done. Continue reading…
