Our Addiction

You wouldn't know it by looking at us, but Mr. K and I have an addiction. Addictions are hard to break all by themselves, but the problem is compounded when both people in a relationship have the addiction.

Our addiction is using paper towels.

In my defense, Mr. K's half of the addiction is much worse than mine.

As I have stated in my earlier posts, these new habits we are developing are to be done gradually. First, I waited until we used up all the other evil paper towels. Then, at Whole Foods the other day, I bought 100% recycled paper towels. I debated between the natural and the bleached. Both were 100% and the plain made from recycled products. In the end I went for the natural because they were tan colored, and I figured I could "sell" them to Mr. K by pointing out that they match the kitchen.

They feel and work pretty much the same, just not quite as soft as our usual quicker picker upper...but why do I need soft paper towels? Are my counter tops sensitive?

My ultimate goal is to eliminate our paper towel usage all together. Right now I only occasionally use rags to clean the kitchen. Kathy was and is SO good at that. Why didn't I pick up that habit?! Oh well...I'll get there...someday.

Anyway, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery...and i already did that!

What inspired me to make the effort? Well, actually I was watching a travel show about the 10 best places to in the west. Of course, The Grand Canyon was #1, but the one that really caught my eye was Sequoia National Park. Some of the trees are more than 20 feet around and tower 100's of feet in the air. And, they have been around for 1000's of years...even before Christ!

These trees are awe inspiring even if you aren't a nature buff! Seeing them caused me to have an "aha" about the trees I help destroy everyday. 40% of landfills are paper products! The NRDC estimates that if every household in the United States used one less roll of paper towels, we could save 544,000 trees. That's incredible!

So, back to the baby steps...

1. Start by switching to recycled and/or natural paper towels.

2. Make a conscious effort to cut down. Instead of 4 to clean up the kitchen, try to get the job done in 2.

3. Work on switching to cloth rags whenever you can. They work just as well and when you're done you toss them in the laundry.