Shake & Fold & Make the World a Better Place
Every breath you take, every move you make... It all adds up.
Every mile we pave over our farmland to move faster between cities adds up to increased stormwater runoff, ecosystem fragmentation, and loss of rural culture. Every mile we drive, every burger we eat, they add up to increased production of greenhouse gases that fuel global warming that fosters weird and intense weather patterns. Skeptical? A recent Stanford study shows convincing trends that global warming has "increased the odds of extreme wet and dry spells."
News like this is depressing and overwhelming, but mostly calls me to ask: what can I do? Recently during a class discussion, I was reminded of a simple and fun thing I can do to produce less waste, stay healthy, and reduce costs simply by washing my hands.
No, not washing my hands of the whole issue of climate change, but washing my hands effectively and efficiently. If we all did this one small thing differently, what a difference we could make! That difference could mean saving 571,230,000 pounds of paper every year
Consider the source of the embodied carbon in paper:
Perhaps you have heard of Joe Smith and his incredible TED talk, "How to use one paper towel." No? So, it isn't the most compelling, intriguing, or innovative sounding TED talk ever. Trust me on this, it is worth four and a half minutes of your time.
Why? Although the print and paper industry accounts for only 1.1% of global carbon dioxide emissions, it is a place we can start some basic habits to orient ourselves towards habits that produce less waste and still get the job done.
So - take a look!
While I didn't find anyone calculating paper towel to CO2 calculations, paper calculations done by MIT indicate that each pound of paper produces 8.8 lbs of CO2. If we all washed our hands differently, according to Joe Smith, that could account for a savings of over 5 billion pounds of Co2.
Now that you know the impact of wasteful washing, and you are feeling a little dirty, try washing your hands!
Every mile we pave over our farmland to move faster between cities adds up to increased stormwater runoff, ecosystem fragmentation, and loss of rural culture. Every mile we drive, every burger we eat, they add up to increased production of greenhouse gases that fuel global warming that fosters weird and intense weather patterns. Skeptical? A recent Stanford study shows convincing trends that global warming has "increased the odds of extreme wet and dry spells."
News like this is depressing and overwhelming, but mostly calls me to ask: what can I do? Recently during a class discussion, I was reminded of a simple and fun thing I can do to produce less waste, stay healthy, and reduce costs simply by washing my hands.
No, not washing my hands of the whole issue of climate change, but washing my hands effectively and efficiently. If we all did this one small thing differently, what a difference we could make! That difference could mean saving 571,230,000 pounds of paper every year
Consider the source of the embodied carbon in paper:
- fossil fuel combustion at industry facilities – about 260 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year;
- fossil fuel combustion by the producers of electricity that the industry purchases – about 190 million tons of CO2 per year;
- fossil fuel combustion associated with the transport of the industry’s raw materials and products – about 70 million tons of CO2 per year; and
- methane emissions attributable to the anaerobic decomposition of forest products in landfills – about 250 million tons of CO2 equivalents per year.
Perhaps you have heard of Joe Smith and his incredible TED talk, "How to use one paper towel." No? So, it isn't the most compelling, intriguing, or innovative sounding TED talk ever. Trust me on this, it is worth four and a half minutes of your time.
Why? Although the print and paper industry accounts for only 1.1% of global carbon dioxide emissions, it is a place we can start some basic habits to orient ourselves towards habits that produce less waste and still get the job done.
So - take a look!
While I didn't find anyone calculating paper towel to CO2 calculations, paper calculations done by MIT indicate that each pound of paper produces 8.8 lbs of CO2. If we all washed our hands differently, according to Joe Smith, that could account for a savings of over 5 billion pounds of Co2.
Now that you know the impact of wasteful washing, and you are feeling a little dirty, try washing your hands!
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