Do Your Part, How to Be and Live Green in Charlotte, NC

A really good way to Do Your Part is to put an end to paper towels in your home.  It may sound impossible but it really isn't.  

 

Start by filling up a kitchen drawer with towels, rags, or washclothes.  The key is convenience!  It doesn't matter if you cut up rags, use old washcloths, or get those super absorbent small towels.  Having one to reach for when you need it most is the main thing and they'll usually get more than one use.  When you're done simply toss it in the laundry pile.  If you use an energy star washing machine on a cold cycle you'll be saving energy and water.  It adds up to a lot less than the resources it takes to make, ship, and dispose of paper towels that only get used once.

 

Need a little inspiration?  Look at it this way, you'll not only being saving resources such as water, you'll also be saving a whole lot of money.  It's estimated that 3,000 tons of paper towels wind up in our landfills each year because used ones can't be recycled.  If a rolls costs about a dollar each and we average about two per week, over the year you'll save at least a hundred dollars! 

 

Now, if you can't commit to living a paper towel-free life at least pick a better paper towel.  Look for ones made with a high percentage of post-consumer content.  That's the paper people recycle, not factory scraps.  Finding chlorine-free ones is also important.  The chemicals used to make chlorine are toxic to people and fish and will wind up right back in our environment.  There's a great guide by the Natural Resources Defense Council that lists many kinds of paper towels and napkins with the most recycled content and those that are chlorine free.  You can find it at NRDC.org.

 

Whether you decide to give up paper towels or commit to buying paper towels made from recycled paper, you will be doing your part to conserve energy and natural resources while keeping more paper out of our landfills.