GreenYour.com

Paper is a crucial part of everyday life. In the United States alone, it's used to publish more than 2 billion books, 350 million magazines, and 24 billion newspapers annually.[1] But the eco-impact of cutting down all those trees and turning them into paper adds up quickly.

The problem with paper

Tree loss

Paper production is an inefficient process; manufacturing 1 pound of paper requires 2 to 3 pounds of tree. What's more, over half (55 percent) of the trees used to meet worldwide paper demand are newly cut. In fact, a single sheet of copy or writing paper might contain fibers from hundreds of different trees that have collectively traveled thousands of miles, potentially from timber logged in regions with ecologically valuable, biologically diverse habitat. Only 38 percent of paper is from recycled sources, and the remaining 7 percent originates from non-tree sources.[2]

Pollution, energy, and waste

Though the pulp and paper industry has made great strides over the past 20 years, there are still significant ecological effects in the process of making paper products, especially those products made from virgin trees. In addition to tree loss, the virgin timber-based pulp and paper industry is the third largest industrial emitter of global warming pollution, with carbon dioxide emissions projected to double by 2020.[3] It also uses 11.5 percent of the energy in the industrial sector.[4] Additionally, paper and paper products make up about 40 percent of the municipal waste stream; that is, all the materials that end up in a landfill.[5] In 2006, that added up to more than 85 million tons of paper and paper products.[6]

External links

• Conservatree
• Treecycle
• Forest Ethics
• Environmental Paper
• Wood Wise
• Earth 911