Americans are finally taking environmentalism seriously. Individuals are making an effort by replacing plastic and paper bags with reusable cloth bags and buying hybrid vehicles. Obama pledged to create green jobs and a good chunk of the stimulus bill was allocated to make our economic infrastructure more ‘green.’
But there’s just one little, daily thing that makes us a whole lot less green than we realize: toilet paper. Most of us are using toilet paper, facial tissue and paper towels made from virgin tree fibers. The virgin fibers are what make toilet paper and tissues so fluffy. Fluffiness is the one quality that is difficult to sacrifice, especially when your nose is chafed and you have a monster cold.
On the other hand, trees are our best defense against climate change, as they are the best natural absorbers of carbon dioxide. Scientists have recently begun warning that carbon dioxide is starting to reach such high levels in the atmosphere that it is approaching a point of no return, at which it will reproduce itself in a feedback loop. At that point, global warming will be inevitable and even hotter than previously predicted.
I don’t quite comprehend all the science — I already made an attempt at majoring in biology and realized in retrospect just how misguided that was — but it seems to me that we’ve already committed and begun to make sacrifices in the name of the environment. Surely, fluffy toilet paper isn’t more important to us than preventing global warming.
Several measures have been proposed to reduce the carbon footprint produced by our toilet paper consumption. Sheryl Crow suggests using just one square per bathroom break — for the ladies — although admitting that there may occasionally be “pesky occasions where two to three could be required.” But I’m not quite sure that’s feasible. I use less toilet paper than the average girl and I still think one square is a little restrictive.
Christian Wolmar of The Guardian, a British news publication, raves about using water instead of paper. He discovered the method in India, and of course we’ve all heard of the infamous French bidet. Using water is more hygienic and more effective — you are much cleaner after washing with water than just wiping with paper — and it’s much less environmentally destructive. This truly seems like the ideal solution. On the other hand, it is unlikely that the University will see fit to install bidets in Lambeth Field Apartments or the Gooch Residence Area anytime soon.
Greenpeace seems to have come up with the most feasible option for the time being. The organization has ranked toilet paper by brand according to the percentage of post-consumer and recycled materials that goes into the product, as well as the toxicity of the chemicals used to bleach the paper. Using its chart, you can stock your bathroom and kitchen with toilet paper, tissue and paper towels — and feel good about yourself at the same time.
I gave it a try. I haven’t checked out the conventional grocery store items just yet, but the environmentally friendly brands are readily available at the more health-oriented and environmentally conscientious food stores like Whole Foods. But I can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods all the time, so I’ll soon be checking Kroger and Harris Teeter. So far, the environmentally friendly toilet paper and facial tissues aren’t as fluffy as the brands I’m used to, but they remain a step up from the TP pulled from those industrial rolls found in our University bathrooms and the restrooms of large stores.
If you’re interested about all the different brands, check out the Greenpeace Web site and type ‘tissue’ into the search bar. It will be the first document on the results page, a handy and colorful PDF. If you heed its advice, you’ll soon be leaving a significantly smaller carbon footprint. As for me, I can definitely work with the new brand of TP and tissue. But the next time I have a cold, I still may turn to the luxurious brand of facial tissues with lotion. For now, though, I am satisfied with this very minor lifestyle change and I am confident that we will continue to come up with new and innovative ways to make our lives ever greener.
Andrenne is a fourth-year College student. She can be reached at a.alsum@cavalierdaily.com.
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