A couple of posts back I made reference to ‘the Sheryl Crow effect’ by which I meant the media buzz surrounding her denouncement of toilet paper. In a subtle and insidious way, these news stories implied that an attack on toilet paper was at best over-zealous and at worst just plain nutty. At the time I agreed with the idea that toilet paper was not a major player in the current environmental crisis. After all, we really do need it. Alternatives are either uncomfortable or unsanitary. And how much harm can a few squares cause? Answer: A great deal. I just read an article on the NRDC website about big company’s paper product production and the facts are really sad. Destruction of millions of acres of forests, the replacement of diverse forest land with single species plantations, as well as a complete lack of recycled materials in grocery store brand paper products. I urge you to read the article: http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/tissue.asp It was actually the first article about the environment that has hit me on a purely emotional level. I just imagined all those forest animals with no place to live as well as the unnecessary death of thousands of beautiful trees. It has inspired me to buy toilet paper that’s been made from recycled material, that’s for sure. I think 7th Generation is a pretty good company on that front, but if anybody has any other recommendations, I’m open.
