7 Days of Green - Day 2

We tend to use way too much paper in our daily lives. You see people going to the bathroom and blindly taking upwards of five sheets of paper to dry their hands. You see people at fast-food restaurants taking wads of napkins and stuffing them in their bags, only to throw them away later.

More than 13 billion pounds of paper towels are used per year in the U.S. That's 40 pounds of paper per person per year. Considering how light paper towels seem, that's a staggering number.

And most of it can't be recycled. It just goes straight to the landfill to decompose and release methane, another greenhouse gas that rivals carbon dioxide. Paper towels can be composted, but no city has established widespread use of this method.

So the way to go is to reduce.

Your challenge for today is: Only take 2 pieces.

Every time you go the bathroom and wash your hands, at most take 2 paper towels. If your hands are still a bit wet, let them air dry. When you go get some food from the cafeteria or from a restaurant, only take two napkins. Any time you are in contact with paper towels or napkins, limit yourself to two. You would be surprised at how much you can reduce by just taking two.

Don't forget to go to the event page for this challenge and click the "complete" button. The more days you complete, the more chances you have at winning a prize!

Live Green!