In a heartbreakingly hilarious scene in one of the quirkiest and funniest films of 2007, 2 Days in Paris, darling Julie Delpy on the verge of tears exclaims, “ I read in an article that we (women) use more tissue paper than men because we wipe when we pee.” I laughed at that scene thinking how cute it was that she was so genuinely distraught over a seemingly insignificant detail, and until I began writing a paper on easy recycling, I didn’t realize how unfunny that thought really was. As women who wipe, we use much more paper than our male counterparts. I don’t know the exact number for women in the world, but in my shanty apartment of two girls, we go through nearly 2 rolls a week. With those numbers, I am single-handedly responsible for decimating almost 6 full-grown adult trees per year, not even counting the trees that make my feminine hygiene products. As an environmentally conscious woman, I feel like crying too, Julie Delpy. But for all you ladies out there that wish to be clean, comfortable, and nature-friendly, there is a way out! Companies like Seventh Generation, Natural Value, and Ever-green have made inexpensive, sanitary, and 100% recycled bath tissues and feminine products. If every American household bought recycled paper JUST ONCE instead of the luxurious “virgin-tree” brands, Americans would spare more than 400,000 trees. Sit down with recycled paper so you can stand up for the forests!
