Virgin or...

Recycled? That is the question I ask you to think about today.

I mentioned last night that I'm reading Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff. I am thoroughly enjoying this book even though I've read about a number of these issues before. As usual, I find that when I am reading books about the impact each of us has on this earth, I become more conscious about my daily, even hourly actions. It is very easy to get caught up in a busy day and not even think as you pull into Papa Gino's to grab a slice of pizza on the way home to avoid having to do more thing after you pull into the driveway... but being more thoughtful and present in my day because of this kind of reading ultimately leads me to better decisions. It makes me happier. Now I just need to find a way to keep this on my radar all the time... perhaps its time to resort to sticking (recycled) post it notes all over my house and my car!

But enough of my ramblings. Here's something you may find interesting:

Reasons to Buy, Use & Reuse Recycled Paper

• Cutting down trees leads to
• extinction of as many as 100 species per day in the rainforest
• mudslides, erosion and major flooding since the trees roots are no longer there absorbing water
• the devastation of many people’s lives: 300 million people in the world live in forests and 60 million are almost entirely dependent on forests for food, fodder, fiber and fuel.
• Nearly 1/2 of the trees cut down in North America are used for paper making
• Trees naturally filter the air we need to breathe.
• Plants and trees cut down to make paper rarely profit the poor people from the region that is affected.
• You already use more paper than you realize (think: books, magazines, posters, food packaging, take-out containers, inserts in new shoes etc), so please choose recycled paper when you can.

So what's the best approach?

• Look for recycled paper, books, notebooks, copy paper etc.
• Look for paper with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Logo/stamp on it. This reputable organization ensures that trees used in your paper were harvested in a ecologically reasonable way and ensures a certain social/ethic standard was maintained in the process.
• Look for books/notebooks/calendars printed with soy based inks instead of toxic chemicals (about 1/3 of US printers are using these now- look for this on the label)