The green revolution isn't done until the paperwork is finished. Eco friendly paper products are a necessary addition to any environmentally friendly home. We all know that paper actually does grow on trees, but how much does the average person use?
When it comes to toilet paper the average ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 sheets per year per person. Add to this facial tissues and paper towels and you start seeing some significant numbers. The obvious green choice is to go with eco friendly paper products for all your household needs.
In this case eco friendly means recycled. Just one ton of recycled paper saves; 17 trees, 7000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of air pollution, 2.5 cubic yards of landfill space and enough kilowatts of electrical power to run the average home for 6 months.
When shopping for eco friendly paper products look for the highest percentage of post-consumer content in the paper. This indicates the amount of waste paper collected from consumers and reprocessed. The higher the percent, the better the paper product is for the environment.
By buying these products you are not only helping the planet, but you are sending a message to the manufacturer and encouraging this cycle of recycling. Every year Americans use approximately 85 million tons of paper products or about 680 pounds per person.
Recycling is not just a good idea, it is becoming a necessity. But how can you be sure you are buying truly eco friendly paper products? Check the label, if your product is endorsed by Green Seal you are buying a quality product. The manufacturer can also make a difference, for example Seventh Generation produces across the board high quality eco friendly products of all sorts and openly discloses all ingredients.
Beware of products claiming to be "environmentally friendly," "safe for the environment" or "natural" as these phrases carry little weight and do not indicate that the product is made from recycled materials.
Ultimately you want toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue made from 100% recycled paper. All truly eco friendly paper products are made chlorine, free being whitened with an environmentally safe process and often coming free of dyes and perfumes.
Buying this kind of household paper will reduce the need for virgin wood pulp which is good due to the fact that 90% of American native forests are gone and won't be coming back anytime soon.
Going green with your household paper products won't cost you any more than with traditional brands and will give much more back to the planet. It is an easy switch and a necessary one.
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