Save a Tree with Recycled Paper TP!

I grew up coming to the mountains. My father's family has been in the Blue Ridge, Georgia area for generations. I spent many happy summers and holidays in these little mountain towns, surrounded by the majestic beauty of the mountains. As the years have gone by, I have noticed one increasingly disturbing trend. The trees are disappearing. And they are disappearing at an alarming rate! New construction in this area has caused land developers to cut down thousands of trees all in the name of progress. This got me to thinking about how many trees are cut down to make the products that I use everyday, all in the name of making my life "more comfortable and easy." So I decided to do some research on the subject. Here is what I found out.

Some sources have said that the average American will most likely go through 23.6 rolls of toilet paper per year. But, I have seen numbers that claim that that number is more like 100 rolls. If you average that one tree will be able to yield 1000 rolls of TP per year, then with the U.S. population in the billions you will most likely find that the numbers will support a general estimate of around 7 million trees cut down or destroyed every year just on toilet paper alone!

If learning this frightened you, you aren't alone. One way that we can change these numbers is by switching to toilet paper made from 100 percent recycled paper. Two brands that I buy are from Seventh Generation and Marcal Smallsteps. Both are made from 100 percent recycled paper, contain no chemicals and no chlorine bleach or dying/scents. They are both also safe for septic systems.



As for "comfort," both are a happy medium between soft and hard tp. True, you will not be wiping your butt with a piece of pillow-y softness but, you won't be wiping with a piece of bark either!

If you are like me, then doing all you can to preserve to the planet is important to you. So I advise you to start thinking about how your personal consumption affects the Earth. Save a tree, use recycled TP!