Paper Trail

Whenever we purchase paper towels, toilet paper, and paper napkins, we always buy 100 percent recycled-paper products.
Gen Han
Dublin, California

I bring less paper into the house so there is less to recycle and reuse. I read the newspapers and magazines from the “in stock” selection at the library or the coffee shop. I even stopped buying most novels and nonfiction books and instead use the different libraries in my community.
Shauna de Silva
San Ramon, California

No more paper napkins at the dinner table. I heard that if everyone reduced their napkin usage by just one a day, we could save 1 billion pounds of paper waste in landfills. So we’re using cloth napkins now. With any luck, the kids won’t be terribly messy, and the napkins can last a few days before needing a wash. The bonus: The family feels as if dinner is a little more special.
Heidi Krumenauer
Stoughton, Wisconsin

No more paper gift wrap. I’m changing over to reusable all-fabric gift bags and tins. Companies like Patagonia sell beautiful fabric bags with ties at cost during the holidays. (They use their scraps.) My family loved them this year and promised to reuse next year.
Dana Lynn
Troy, Michigan

The biggest eco-change I’ve made in my life involves the lives of all my students, our school, and our community. Working at a school involves a lot of paper, and that paper generally goes to waste. My coworker, Linda, and I took it upon ourselves to put a plan into action. Armed with a few boxes, an eco-friendly e-mail, and a group of kids willing to help, Linda and I started recycling our school’s waste. In three years, we have saved three tons of paper from going to the landfill. This equates to saving 51 trees, 1,140 gallons of oil, 12,000 kilowatts of energy, and 21,000 gallons of water and stopping 4,500 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. The biggest benefit is how the school and the community have become involved in an effort to reduce our carbon footprints.
Mark Edmondson
Council Bluffs, Iowa

Car Talk

We are a family of four with two fast-growing boys. Everyone said we were crazy when we downsized from an eight-cylinder gas-hogging SUV to a four-cylinder diesel compact. We still have a car pool, and we still go on family vacations. The only thing that has changed is the fuel. We now use biodiesel and get 40 miles to the gallon. Great for the checkbook and the environment!
Kristen Connor
Burlington, North Carolina

I have installed water barrels at downspouts, changed my lightbulbs, and purchased better windows. But my biggest change? I sold my BMW 325XI and bought a Toyota Prius. My husband thought I was crazy, but I can’t tell you how good it feels. The BMW took medium- or high-grade gas once a week, and the Prius takes plain old regular every three weeks. Love it! Besides, Prius people wave to each other, and BMW people don’t.
Alice Schaaf
Lexington, Kentucky

Bottled Up

Instead of buying my kids new bath toys, I wash out plastic containers and bottles of all shapes and sizes, like mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and maple syrup, for them to play with. This way, my boys constantly have new things to pour and splash with in the tub, and my family is also learning the life lesson of reusing materials before they go into the recycle bin.
Amy Smith
Reston, Virginia

Water is the only beverage I drink on a regular basis, so I’m picky about it. I like bottled water better and used to buy an industrial pack of bottled water from Costco. But seeing how many plastic bottles I used was a wake-up call. Instead, I bought a Brita pitcher and now filter tap water, which I pour into bottles. This is not a huge change, but if everyone makes one small change, think of the results.
Emily Payne
Greenville, South Carolina