You don’t have to speak French to get the impact of this.
You don’t have to speak French to get the impact of this.
RSWR Eco-tip: Rep
RSWR Eco-tip: Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins.
Its easy to have a debate in your head about disposable versus the energy and resources it takes to produce and launder cloth napkins. But it turns out the good far outweighs the bad.
Bringing or providing cloth napkins is something simple you can do to save the earth’s resources and save money over time. Soft, thick and available in beautiful colors and textures, cloth napkins also look cool and feel luxurious.
WHY TAKE ON THIS GOAL?
- Paper products use up entire forests – in total, 75% of the plantations established for paper and wood products in the last 20 years have been established at the expense of natural forests.
- Paper products create pollution; in fact, the paper industry is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
- Paper products use excessive water and energy to manufacture.
- Typical paper towels are manufactured using chlorine, a known toxin which releases carcinogenic dioxins into the environment.
- Paper products account for 25% of landfill waste. In turn, landfills account for one third of human-related methane emissions.
- The majority of all commercial inks used in paper products are made with petroleum, a non-renewable resource.
The major reason you should give up paper towels and paper napkins is because on top of creating some serious negative environmental impacts, they’re unnecessary. This isn’t about something vital like food, shelter or clothing; it’s about a totally expendable item.
Paper napkin image via rubiyat.
Right Sharing of World Resources: www.rswr.org
