Even the most determined environmentalists use paper.  How many of us spoiled Americans can imagine living a day without tissue, toilet paper, printing paper, or paper notebooks.  The unapologetic use of paper is as ingrained into our mentalities as such modern conveniences as automobiles, electricity, and disposable plastic.  But paper is different.  Unlike coal, oil, and uranium, wood pulp is a renewable resource, right?

Right?

Well, trees are renewable in that they grow back.  But some trees grow back faster than others, and it can take years for the ecosystems that they support to be established again.  Old Growth forests have been untouched for hundreds of years.  If they are destroyed, we won’t see them again in our lifetimes.  For that matter, our children may not see them.  According to the World Resources Institute, almost 80 per cent of the world’s original forests have already been degraded or completely destroyed.

And Kimberly-Clark, the maker of the most popular brands of tissue, is at the frontlines in the war on ancient forests.  In fact, recent photos reveal a massive stockpile of logs from Canada’s Boreal Forest.  (Read the full article at TreeHugger.)

So what can you do?  The most obvious answer is to stop buying K-C products.  Instead, look for 100% recycled paper products.  Click here to get the handy Greenpeace Tissue Guide To learn more, check out Greenpeace’s Kleercut campaign.

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