To kick off the 2011 year, this week Our Daily Green will highlight different ways to reduce, reuse or recycle everyday products. We challenge our readers to adopt some of these ideas to save money and the environment in the coming year. Today's challenge, as indicated by the post title is to...
Stop buying paper towels, completely.
Really. Put away your paper towel dispenser and stop buying them. You don't need them. Switch to cloth towels and napkins. Invest in a microwave dome to cover food that you reheat. See how long you can go without buying a single paper towel. Wipe up spills with a towel, sponge, or mop.
If your world is anything like ours, you have more towels than you know what to do with and you do laundry at least once or twice a week. Use your towels, launder them and reuse them. Kitchen towels aren't decorative, they are functional. Clean windows and mirrors with newspaper or microfiber towels.
If your world is anything like ours, you have more towels than you know what to do with and you do laundry at least once or twice a week. Use your towels, launder them and reuse them. Kitchen towels aren't decorative, they are functional. Clean windows and mirrors with newspaper or microfiber towels.
Stop thinking that the only way to dry or clean the items in your home is with a paper towel. Use what you have and don't worry about buying thicker and stronger and more absorbent paper towels.
When in public, either use a hand dryer or carry your own small personal towel. People Towels have several quick drying, fun, sustainably themed towels for just such a purpose. Personally, few hand driers accomplish their purpose and I wind up wiping my hands on my legs, but I've decided that there is no reason I cannot carry my own towel since I'm not a fan of airdriers.
With very little thought and effort, paper towels can go the way of 8-track tapes and black & white televisions --- something that seemed like a good idea at the time, but quickly became dated and less useful than we originally thought.
For every roll of paper towels NOT used, we save water, trees, energy to make the paper and landfill space.
Any other ideas?
Any other ideas?
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4 comments :
We're a zero paper kitchen too! Woohoo! I'm visiting you from Green Follow Friday. I'm in the Lansing, Michigan area, so probably not too far from you ;)
Welcome Heather, I look forward to following each other. I'm closer to the east side of the state, but I am familiar with Lansing area. We used to camp up that way.
Good for you. This is such a simple switch, I don't know why more people can't wrap their heads around it. We haven't had paper towel in our house for over 3 years.
I've never missed. Or it's plastic wrapper.
I keep a stockpile of old towels that have been relegated to rags for the really nasty stuff - like dog barf. Otherwise I keep a basket under the sink full of bar rags that are used for everything else.
I can't imagine going back to buying paper towel, using it once, tossing it and having to buy it again. Makes no sense.
In the microwave, we just use another plate or bowl {inverted} as a lid. {I'm nervous about microwaving plastic.} Plus I already had them. One less thing to buy!
♥ Rebecca Jean
Midnight Maniac
I found you throught the Meet & Greet and so glad I did!
Stopping the use of paper towels, plastic bags, paper lunch bags and straws were the first things that we stopped using in our house to go green. Not only was it better for the enviro but also saved us green! I look forward to more of your posts. I'll definitely be including your sites in my next Super Star Saturday!
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