by Hilary Miller, Washington, DC
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Earlier in the week, we asked you to vote for the next Double Impact challenge. Lots of you weighed in on what you thought would be the best tip for conserving energy and resources. The majority decided that using cloths or dishtowels instead of paper towels is an important change to incorporate into any sustainable lifestyle. This is important for more reasons than you may think! Here’s why:
Paper towels use a whole stream of resources from the trees that compose them to the packaging and fuel necessary to ship them. Depletion of resources and harmful emissions are significant causes of deforestation and global climate change. One study reported that one paper towel dispenser contributes 4.6 tonnes of CO2 to global warming over the course of five years. If you have to buy paper products, it is important to choose options that are made from recycled material and don’t waste as much material. But, the best choice is to eliminate the paper towel all together and reuse washable fabric alternatives. Cloth towels may use more resources in the manufacturing of each one but the ability to wash and reuse make them much more efficient than disposable paper. Try making a difference by making the switch!
Sign up for Double Impact here and help support charities by logging the different green lifestyle choices you make each day.
(Source: www.treehugger.com )