I had a problem: I enjoyed using bottled water and paper napkins. I'm okay now, but let's recount my tragic history...
I liked bottled water. I found them to be a convenient way to transport water. Unlike reusable water bottles, which I found to be large & clunky, bottled water bottles were small, and fit well in the car cup holders, in the side pocket of my messenger bag, and in my hand.
What about paper napkins? My family always used them, and I would often times get multiple uses out of one napkin by folding and refolding it. I always found fabric napkins to be unsatisfactory when it came to their absorbency and the fact that once greasy, you couldn't just throw it away and get a new one.
Flash forward to today: I'm fully recovered from my wasteful ways. I can credit my wife's persistent admonitions for turning me around. Anyway, when you consider that over 17 million barrels of oil were needed to produce enough water bottles to satisfy U.S. consumer demand last year, it kind of sours one on drinking bottled water. Also, when one factors in that every paper napkin was once a proud tree, and that the cutting down of that tree has reduced the number of trees that absorb carbon from the air we breathe, I knew it was time to reform myself. Now we're using reusable water bottles and cloth napkins.
To help you on your way to live a less wasteful life, click on the icon in the sidebar for thinkoutsidethebottle.org and take the pledge to choose tap water over bottled water today and for the rest of your life!
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