Just Recycle!
Posted by Kelly Smith on Mon, May 31, 2010
When most of us think about reducing our carbon footprint these days, we think about things like driving less, using less electricity,purchasing green power, or planting trees. We are aware of recycling as something that is good for the planet, but many do not make the connection between recycling and climate change.
In fact, it takes much less energy to make a product from recycled materials rather than freshly chopped trees or newly mined metal ores. According to the state of Minnesota’s environmental website doitgreen.org, “Production of recycled paper uses 65 percent less energy than paper production using raw materials.”
Less energy usage means less carbon dioxide pollution, and that means less climate change. Energy conservation and energy efficiency, together with renewable energy, are some of the best things we can work on to improve our energy future.
Paper recycling is especially important to reducing climate change, because it reduces the need to cut down carbon dioxide-absorbing trees to make more paper. And doesn’t it just make more sense to recycle resources we already have rather than let them sit for hundreds of years in a landfill?
Fortunately, people are catching on. According to a recent Mother Nature Network article, “The American Forest & Paper Association reports that in 2008, a record high 57.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling.” That is a good jump from 53 percent in 2006.
The U.S. paper industry hopes to continue the growth trend in paper recycling to collect and use 60 percent of American waste paper in the next two years. Since 86 percent of Americans have access to paper recycling facilities of some kind, this seems like a very achievable goal. Every home and business should think more seriously about how to make the easy commitment to recycling.