Recycling Paper Saves Trees, And Reduces Greenhouse Emissions
Written by anderseriksson on December 30th, 2010Imagine the next time you join a discussion about Recycling. When you start sharing the fascinating Recycling facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.
Paper is a fine, thin material that’s commonly used for writing and packaging. Paper is produced by pressing moist fibers like cellulose together. The cellulose pulp is generally derived from wood, grass or rags, which are dried into flexible sheets.
Paper is a versatile material, which offers a wide array of uses. Paper has been used for centuries, from the 2nd Century in China, to the water-powered paper mills of medieval Europe. While paper has been a very important aspect of our lives, the careless and wasteful use of it can lead to a mounting garbage problem.
The production of paper also is costly, and during these times where we hear a lot of horror stories regarding environmental degradation and pollution, the quest to save our forests requires that we lessen our consumption of paper and other wood by-products.
Paper Recycling Helps Save The Forests
As the demand for paper and wood increases, more and more timber is required to meet the ever-growing demand for wood pulp. In most cases, this means the irreparable loss of wildlife habitats and ecosystems, because old-growth forests are often replaced by forest plantations. This helps explain why recycling paper does more than save trees, since it also helps save the wildlife habitats and ecosystems that rely on them. Here are a few simple but helpful paper recycling tips to keep in mind.
Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there’s more to Recycling than you may have first thought.
- Make it a point to regularly collect old newspaper, office papers and magazines from the office, or from your neighbors, and initiate a used paper collection drive. The old newspapers and used office papers can be sent to a recycling center, while the old magazines can be reused in clinics, nursing homes or libraries.
- At your office, encourage the use of electronic mails instead of constantly writing office memos. Also promote the use of copiers or printers which have an option to print or copy on both sides. Also encourage your coworkers to actively participate in any recycling program.
- At home, encourage family members to use both sides of paper. Educate your kids and other family members about the importance of paper recycling, and teach your children to bring home the paper they used in school, instead of throwing them. You can also request your kid’s school to initiate their own recycling programs.
Trees not only serve as sources of paper or packaging materials, but also serve as a natural habitat for many birds and animals. They also provide us shade, fresh air, and prevent flooding too. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which affect the earth’s temperature. This helps to explain why recycling paper is very important, because our survival depends on how we carefully manage our planet’s resources.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO