MADM: Your Butt Is Killing The Planet

MADM stands for Make a Difference Monday.  My original goal of MADM was to share small ways to make a difference in the world and bring awareness to important causes.  It has been a really long time since I’ve done one of these and I hope to make it a more regular feature.  Consistency is not one of my strengths.

So, the title of this post was just meant to be an attention grabber.  Actually it isn’t your butt that is killing the planet, but the stuff you may be using to wipe it.

I read an article today that pretty much confirmed that I am guilty of using the wrong kind of toilet paper.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I really don’t give it a lot of thought.  I tend to buy whatever is on sale, but usually opt for the softer brands such as Cottonelle or Charmin.

I’ve seen the more environmentally friendly toilet paper at the store but have been a little skeptical about trying them.

I mean how much of a difference does it make anyway?  And more importantly, just how awful is it going to feel?

Well, the answer to the first question, according to the article, is that it makes a HUGE difference. Here are some of the important facts I learned:

  • Making toilet paper has a significant impact because of chemicals used in pulp manufacture and cutting down forests.
  • Those brands, which put quilting and pockets of air between several layers of paper, are especially damaging to the environment.
  • More than 98% of the toilet roll sold in America comes from virgin forests (i.e. not made from recycled content).
  • Making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution.

Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense says:

“This is a product that we use for less than three seconds and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it from trees is enormous.”

The article was pretty enlightening.  If you’d like to read the rest, click here.

If you are not sure what brands are best, head on over to the Greenpeace website where they have put together a handy dandy pocket guide for you to take on your shopping trip.  Click the button below:

I’ll let you know what we think of the environmentally friendly TP once our family uses it.  I expect lots of whining from my husband as he is a TP snob.

While we are on the subject of toilet paper, I thought I’d give you the results of The Great Debate.   The over people won by a landslide.  If you are an under person, you are clearly doing it wrong and should switch it immediately.

So, do you try to buy toilet paper made from recycled content?  If not, will you try to switch now that you know about the environmental impact?

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post 

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

March 2, 2009 | Filed Under Make a Difference 

Comments

11 Responses to “MADM: Your Butt Is Killing The Planet”

    9369
  1. Jenni Jiggety on March 2nd, 2009 10:03 pm

    You will have to let me know how it goes…I am a TP snob too.

    And it is UNDER…I don’t care what the people say!

    [Reply]

  2. Shannon on March 2nd, 2009 11:04 pm

    Huh, now that I know, I just might try the “green” TP!

    [Reply]

  3. Andrea on March 3rd, 2009 12:19 am

    that is crazy. who knew??

    [Reply]

  4. Leslie on March 3rd, 2009 12:49 am

    I heard about that. Didn’t think much of it, but now I will go for the recycled stuff. And I’m an over person too. The others clearly are wrong. ;) ;) ;)

    [Reply]

  5. Jenn(ifer) on March 3rd, 2009 6:59 am

    I’m so guilty of using the virgin toliet paper. I don’t get the recycled, because frankly, when I hear recycled toliet paper I don’t have good thoughts! LOL I know, I know…they aren’t using OLD toliet paper to recycle it, but just the possibilty freaks me out. I gotta get over it.

    [Reply]

  6. Jen E @ mommablogsalot on March 3rd, 2009 10:24 am

    I’ll definitely be looking forward to your thoughts on “Green TP” – I am pretty picky about my toilet paper but I’d also like to be a bit greener. :)

    [Reply]

  7. ciara on March 3rd, 2009 1:25 pm

    hubs does the shopping so he always gets what is cheaper…prob his store brand. as long as it holds up and doesn’t make my derriere raw, i can deal. i don’t know if it’s green tp or not tho :-/

    [Reply]

  8. Elaine on March 3rd, 2009 1:29 pm

    You’re right, we don’t even think about it! I guess I will have to look into using more environmentally friendly tp. Wonder if they sell it at Costco… ; )

    [Reply]

  9. Maggie on March 3rd, 2009 3:35 pm

    I used to be a HUGE TP snob! To the point where I brought my own soft TP to work with me becuase I hated the scratchy stuff in the public bathrooms. Then I was really poor one day and needed TP and could only afford one roll, which happened to be a recycled version. And it wasn’t that bad. Not as bad as the work scratch. Now, it’s all I use. And the bonus is that it’s wrapped in paper instead of plastic. Double points!

    [Reply]

  10. LiLu on March 3rd, 2009 4:04 pm

    I love this title. :-)

    And I will immediately examine my TP usage!

    [Reply]

  11. Shannon on March 3rd, 2009 9:00 pm

    I love these posts!! Great idea. I have been so feeling a need to do something to “make a difference” lately. It’s hard with my kids so young, I have no time to volunteer or do things I’d like to do.

    We are a fairly “green” family so we have been using this crappy (no pun intended!) TP for years. IT SUCKS. But you get used to it. I hated it at first but, like anything, you eventually forget what the other stuff was like.

    And to answer Elaine’s question, they do have excellent environmentally friendly brands of TP at Costco. We use “Cascades” which is a Canadian company and it’s 100 per cent recycled and environmentally friendly.

    Jen, this is two posts in a week about TP. I assume you’ll be expanding outside the bathroom one day soon??? :-)

    [Reply]

Got something to say?





CommentLuv Enabled

Tweet This Post links powered by Tweet This v1.3.9, a WordPress plugin for Twitter.