PaperlessKitchen Blog

Need Another Reason to Ditch Paper Towels? How About the Sumatran Rainforest?

Phillippe Cousteau recently filmed a very eye-opening special on the Sumatran rainforest for CNN. In "Expedition: Sumatra," Cousteau explored much of the Indonesian rainforest, examining man's impact on the environment there and the areas of raw unspoiled beauty in the region.

From watching the special, you get a clear picture of the devastating impact of deforestation in the region. Cousteau found that over a 22-year period, 48 percent of the Sumatran rainforest has been decimated. Indonesia now produces one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions related to deforestation, decreasing air quality throughout Southeast Asia and contributing to climate change.

Many of the species that are native to the region, including Sumatran tigers, are now in danger of extinction, and many indigenous villages have been forced to relocate as the forest has been cleared.

The deforestation of the Sumatran rainforest is being driven by western demands for paper products like toilet paper and paper towels, palm oil and plywood. Surprisingly, extracts from rainforest woods are even used in latex products and cosmetics.

The story highlights the importance of reducing our own dependence on paper. The less of a demand for products made from the rainforest's natural resources there is, the more likely deforestation is to slow.

                                                                  Phillippe Cousteau 

You can check out an article by Cousteau on CNN.com and see clips from "Expedition: Sumatra" on the CNN website.

OWN A BUSINESS? YOUR PAPER WASTE MATTERS

Last month, Fast Company wrote a post discussing one of the newest Internet memes--the CVS receipt. The nationwide drugstore chain is notorious for providing ridiculously long receipts at the checkout counter, even for individuals who are just buying one or two items.

Recently, people have begun posting photographs of their long CVS receipts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. There's even a Twitter feed devoted to the extra long receipts. On social media, many are simply discussing the receipts from a humorous perspective, but some people are criticizing the chain for wasting so much paper.

As Fast Company points out, CVS has yet to comment on their now infamous receipt printing practices. The blog post focuses on how this is a marketing opportunity for CVS upon which they have yet to capitalize; however, looking at this from a green perspective, I can't help but feel that there's a more important takeaway here.

As a business owner, the decisions that you make about your use of paper matter. While it might take 3-foot long receipts to catch the attention of some customers, others are highly sensitive to environmental issues and will be turned off by even less heinous acts of wastage. When you're examining your purchasing standards and your business practices, taking into consideration the environmental impact of all aspects of your company isn't just good for the planet--it's good for your business, too.

McDonald's Switches from Plastic to Paper

This week, McDonald's announced that every location in the U.S. will soon be using paper cups for hot beverages instead of plastic. The move is meant to be a positive one for the health of the planet, but it's evident that the fast food giant still has a long way to go to truly be more environmentally responsible.

McDonald's explained that by switching from plastic to paper, the company will be able to recycle more of its cups. Plus, paper cups that are carried out of the restaurant and end up in the garbage will break down more quickly in landfills unlike the current plastic cups that do not readily biodegrade.

While there's no doubt that paper is more biodegradable than plastic, concerns about deforestation should be considered when evaluating the true sustainability of McDonald's plan. The company has stated that they will be using "more" recycled content in the paper cups than in the plastic ones, but has not specified how much more.

A far more green option for McDonalds and other restaurants is natural non-paper recyclables, such as corn or sugar cane-based products. So far, none of the major fast food restaurants have experimented with using these types cups, but doing so could make a big impact on the planet.

What do you think about McDonald’s announcement? Does it make you more likely to eat there than you are now or less likely?

USDA Participating In Food Waste Challenge

                         

This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted on their blog that the agency is in the midst of a Food Waste Challenge at their headquarters in Washington. The department is seeking to reduce the amount of waste that is thrown away in the cafeteria by 5 percent during this year.

The USDA is using some of the food scraps and paper waste collected in the cafeteria as composting for the People's Garden, a public garden located on the grounds of the building. The department professionally processes much of its own composting and stores some of the waste in drums to use as fertilizer.

In the blog post, the USDA urges homeowners to join the Food Waste Challenge by collecting their own compostable waste and starting a composting pile outside. If you'd like to participate, be sure to check out our Eco Products and Bambu compostable disposables, which are perfect for serving quick meals and are 100 percent compostable.          

New Stats Show Europe Is Making Progress on Paper Waste

In the past, we've covered the massive problem of plastic waste in the European Union, and while Europe is still trying to sort out the best ways to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, a new report shows that the EU has managed to reduce paper use and disposal rates.

Some of the key findings of the report include:

- In 1992, only 41 percent of all paper was recycled in the countries that now make up the European Union.

- As of 2012, roughly 71 percent of all paper was recycled.

- Paper use was reduced by 13 percent and is now at the lowest levels it has been since 1998

- Rates for paper recycling are lowest in Central Europe

Clearly, Europe is headed in the right direction in terms of paper waste recycling; however, only 40 percent of the total of all waste produced throughout the EU is recycled, indicating there is still a lot of work to be done to make Europe green.

Free Tool Helps You Select the Most Eco-Friendly Paper

Even if you're committed to reducing paper usage as much as possible, it's not always possible to eliminate paper completely. If paper must continue to play a role in your business, finding the type with the smallest environmental impact can help you stay in line with your eco-conscious while still meeting the needs of your business.

The Paper Calculator from the Environmental Paper Network is a free tool designed to help you make the best possible decisions about the paper that you use. The calculator makes it simple to compare different grades and brands of paper to find the ones that have the smallest eco-footprint, taking into account its percentage of recycled content and its manufacturing methods.

The calculator also creates a report that details the findings and fully explains the environmental impact of making various paper choices. The tool is free to use, but you must register and agree to cite the calculator when you present any of the findings from the app.

To try out The Paper Calculator, visit the Environmental Paper Network's website.

Once you have, stop back and tell us what you learned in the "Comments" section.

Your Business Can Turn Waste Paper Into Toilet Paper!

Although it was released 2 years ago, the White Goat paper-recycling machine has made headlines again recently, as more and more companies in Japan are purchasing these systems.

The idea behind the White Goat is that companies can use their waste paper to develop another type of paper product that most businesses use on a daily basis: toilet paper. The company that manufactures White Goat estimates that for average-sized companies, the machine can recycle enough paper to save 60 trees each year.

Using the White Goat is simple. Employees simply place their waste paper into the machine's bin. From there, the paper is shredded and held until there is enough to create a roll of toilet paper. It takes roughly 40 sheets of A4 paper to make a single roll.

Interested in the White Goat? At this time, the machine costs $100,000, so it may not be a practical investment for small companies. For those with 50 or more employees, however, or fields that use large amounts of paper, the machine may pay for itself in no time.

The Impact Of Paperless Cockpits

Earlier this year, we reported on American Airlines' newly approved iPad technology that allowed the airlines to reduce the size of the paper manuals that the FAA required pilots to keep on board. At the time, it was evident that the new system would be better for the planet, but with the program underway, it is now apparent that the paperless cockpit is good for business, too.

American Airlines estimates by removing the 35 pounds of paper from their cockpits, they will save 400,000 gallons of fuel each year. This will result in $1.2 million in savings annually, not to mention reduced costs for purchasing paper.

Clearly, paperless cockpits are ideal from a business standpoint, and now that American Airlines has proved successful, JetBlue is also considering a paperless cockpit program.

U.S. airlines are not the only ones going the paperless route. In Australia, the Australian and International Pilots Association has backed the development of paperless systems at all of the major airlines, and the association's president, Barry Jackson, estimates than within a year, all of the airlines that operate in the country will be using iPads instead of paper manuals.

Paperless kitchen wants to know: Would you take whether or not an airline was paperless into consideration when booking a flight? Tell us in the Comments section!

New Program Helps Reduce Wasted Paper When You Print

Even if you're making an effort to reduce how much paper you consume by printing at home or work, there are some things that still require you to switch on the printer and crank out a document. How many times have you been aggravated to find that a vital document doesn't print properly, requiring you to waste another sheet of paper or more?

A new program from Cartridge World called PrintEco is designed to eliminate this common problem. For home use or companies with fewer than 25 employees, PrintEco is free to use. The software works with many common programs, including those in the Microsoft Office Suite. It also is compatible with Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome browsers.

When you use PrintEco, documents and web pages are optimized for printing. This means that margins are oriented the correct way and unwanted advertisements and other frames can be removed. You can also use the program to consolidate text to use less paper.

I experimented with PrintEco myself and found the program rather simple and straightforward to use. If you qualify for the free version, I recommend doing the same.

Own a larger company? Try playing with the home version to see what you think and then determine the cost-effectiveness of the program based on the results of your test-drive. Let me know what you think of PrintEco by leaving a message in the "Comments" section.

African Woman Uses Paper Waste to Support Her Family

With 10 children to feed, no husband and no means to find employment, Gabaiphe Tlhaloso of Francistown, Botswana was facing tremendous hardships. The single mother is illiterate, making her prospects seem bleak, but not one to lose hope, she began to brainstorm ways to support herself and her family.

Tlhaloso noticed how much paper waste was discarded around her home, and she became inspired to both clean up her neighborhood and put the waste paper to good use. She experimented and found a way to use old newspaper and boxes mixed with stones, grain husks and sand to make handicrafts.

Her beautiful pieces are intended for decorating her home, and she has set up a small shop at a flea market-type event. To decorate her art, Tlhaloso uses watermelon seeds, pebbles and other found items. Her works sell for $23 to $50, which may not seem like much; however, with her profits, she has been able to move her family of 11 from a one-room home to a two-room home.

Tlhaloso is actively trying to inspire other women in the area to put their skills to use to support her families. Her story is an inspiring one that deserves to be shared.