Image courtesy of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Flushing our forests

We’re all stocking up on toilet paper — how many trees are in each roll?

Coming up to Earth Day on April 22, it may be helpful to examine what we have learned from the last few weeks in lock down due to a pandemic. Can we translate some of these temporary behavior modifications to lasting ones that will save the planet? For instance, can we drive less by making fewer trips to the supermarket? Can we use all the food we buy and can we use less resources? And last but not the least, can we use less of the ultimate single use product, toilet paper?

At the same time that retailers in the U.S. have begun limiting the number of toilet paper packs bought in a single trip, anxiety about extended home stays has people feeling pressure to stock up.

Shelves across the country are picked clean.

A couple things to consider before you organize a raid on your neighbor’s house for their precious rolls:

• An average U.S. household (2 to 3 people) uses about 410 rolls per year (over a 100 rolls per person per year), according to Georgia-Pacific, the company that makes Quilted Northern and Angel Soft. A company spokesperson said “therefore, to last approximately 2 weeks, a 2-person…