Comments on: Read All About It! 5 Good Uses of Paper; 5 Sheety Ones

By: You’ve Got Mail, But the Postal Service Is Losing Billions | EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:54:39 +0000

[…] good news is less paper. The bad news is the USPS which we depend upon through rain, sleet and health insurance […]

By: Sarah Irani

Sarah Irani — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:29:31 +0000

I love the title. Sheety. Very cute. 🙂

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:29:47 +0000

Also, the electronic versions of newspapers and greeting cards do have environmental costs as well.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:27:02 +0000

Frank, you are right that one use of paper is objectively the same as another use of paper – the tree doesn’t care what we use it for. I think Luanne’s point was that we shouldn’t use paper unthinkingly and by thinking about our paper usage, and saving it for things we truly care about, we can cut down over all.

However, there’s nothing wrong with 100% recycled paper – in fact it’s a vitally important thing because it saves waste paper from going to landfill where it releases methane as it rots.

We should never cut down old-growth forests for any reason, especially to make paper. But not all timber/pulp plantations are bad. After all, this is land that would be otherwise be used for something else, perhaps to run sheep or to build suburban homes. By planting trees, even ones that will be harvested later, it means that land is being used to sequester carbon. The trees actually suck up most of the CO2 while they are in growing phase.

Recycled paper is best but FSC or PEFC certified paper has a place. I’ve written about this before if you are interested: http://ecosalon.com/the-facts-about-paper/

By: Luanne

Luanne — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:32:10 +0000

I like cards, too, but I have greatly limited how many I buy and send. I like to make them when possible and my kids do the same.

By: frank

frank — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:53:16 +0000

I don’t see how love letters are any different from greeting cards, or catalogs different from newspapers. Sentimentalities like these keep us from truly becoming a green society. I’m sorry if I sound like a dick, but it irks me when people try to justify cutting down a tree, for any reason. And not just the trees, consider the environmental impact of producing pens and ink.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:23:44 +0000

Well said. You gave me pause, in a good way. As you said, there is a balance to be had. I’m in a business that is supposed to be paperless, but we still have plenty of it around. I don’t agree that harvesting trees is murder. If it is, then I also can’t mow my lawn or pick apples and carrots. They would all come under the same purview. Trees, like carrots, are a renewable resource that are on earth for benefit and use, provided it is accompanied with intelligent stewardship. But I agree we could do better in the stewardship realm, especially those terrible phone books! So, of necessity abstinence is not a sustainable MO, but stewardship is.

By: Sara Ost

Sara Ost — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:23:20 +0000

I’m not usually very sentimental, but I do confess I have a large box in my storage closet with nearly every card I’ve received since childhood. I love cards. 🙂

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:07:37 +0000

A great list, though I have to differ with you on the greeting cards. I love them and I usually keep them.

By: Dopey LaRue

Dopey LaRue — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:40:49 +0000

I am glad you included love letters on this list! Mine come to me on scraps of discarded paper which reminds me that he really is perfect for me 🙂

Books are an utmost necessity in my life, too. For sure. Walking into a bookstore is hellish for me though as I just see a tree graveyard. I ease some of the paper-waste guilt I feel by buying all of my books used or borrowing them from the library. It seems you can find any book used online about a nanosecond after it hits the shelves!

If I remember correctly, Ecosalon recently did a pretty awesome post about where to get books online (buying used and trade, I think).