And Now Introducing: The Toilet Paper Police
Environmentalists (and I am one of them on many issues) are now on a roll. Americans are now being criticized for their toilet paper use, but perhaps most Americans will turn the other cheek:
The tenderness of the delicate American buttock is causing more environmental devastation than the country’s love of gas-guzzling cars, fast food or McMansions, according to green campaigners. At fault, they say, is the US public’s insistence on extra-soft, quilted and multi-ply products when they use the bathroom.
“This is a product that we use for less than three seconds and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it from trees is enormous,” said Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defence Council.
“Future generations are going to look at the way we make toilet paper as one of the greatest excesses of our age. Making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution.” Making toilet paper has a significant impact because of chemicals used in pulp manufacture and cutting down forests.
A campaign by Greenpeace seeks to raise consciousness among Americans about the environmental costs of their toilet habits and counter an aggressive new push by the paper industry giants to market so-called luxury brands.
Perhaps now that the Obama administration has replaced the Bush administration — an administration environmentalists of all kinds have considered one of the worst in American history (and most certainly caused THIS REPUBLICAN to roll over in his grave) environmentalists are feeling flushed with victory and that there is not a moment to waste:
More than 98% of the toilet roll sold in America comes from virgin forests, said Hershkowitz. In Europe and Latin America, up to 40% of toilet paper comes from recycled products. Greenpeace this week launched a cut-out-and-keep ecological ranking of toilet paper products.
Could the desire to cut down on toilet paper spark a renewed interest in newspapers (this is one use for which a computer won’t do)?
4 Responses to “And Now Introducing: The Toilet Paper Police”
While I am a conservationist myself this is why the conservationists get the waccko label.
A healthy young tree, which is growing vigorously, produces significantly more oxygen than a mature tree whose growth rate has slowed down considerably. Beyond maturity (which varies according to species), trees enter a phase of decay and tend to release more carbon dioxide and other elements into the atmosphere than oxygen. Thus deforestation is actually beneficial for mankind and for the forest itself.
I say we get behind this environmental group and wipe this problem away.
Will somebody please tell these people to relax a little bit.
Better yet, take personal action and vote with your dollars:
http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp
[...] you need virgin pulp wood paper to wipe with? Greenpeace doesn’t think so: More than 98% of the toilet roll sold in America comes from virgin forests, said Hershkowitz. In [...]