Can You Spare a Square?

Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes may have posed the original question, but it’s something we should all consider since we in the U.S. average 50 pounds of toilet tissue, paper napkins and paper towels per year! That’s seven trees worth! Worldwide, about 270,000 trees are used and discarded each day. Here are a few ways to reduce your paper footprint:

· Buy single-ply, unscented and lotion-free tissue products whenever possible.

· Avoid colored tissue. Buy dye-free (i.e. white) or unbleached paper products. These dyes and bleaches also can irritate your skin.

· Switch to cloth napkins. They are much more civilized, not to mention more effective. Use different colors or unique napkin rings for different members of the family and wash them when they’re soiled.

· Cut paper towel use with Green Irene’s Twist Sponge Cloth (3-pack for $4.50). They easily wipe kitchen and bath surfaces like a paper towel and absorb like a sponge. Better yet, they replace 17 full rolls of paper towels! You may also like our Twist Scrubber Sponge (2-pack for $5) and the Twist Dish Dumpling Scrubber ($4; featured in the February 2010 issue of Bon Appétit).

Ellen Hall
Green Irene Eco-Consultant
ellen.cincydayton@greenirene.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/CincyDaytonEllen
513-932-7304