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Use cloth instead of paper towels when out and about

Why This is Green

Skip the debate about which is greener--hand dryers or paper towels--and go with an even greener option: BYO cloth.

Let’s say the average American works 240 days a year and washes their hands at least three times a day while at the office. If only one paper towel is used (some people use more), that adds up to 720 a year. This doesn’t even include the number of paper towels and napkins being used in restaurants, retail stores, stadiums, and libraries. Mind boggling.

A little perspective: the NRDC estimates that if every household in the United States used one less roll of paper towels, we could save 544,000 trees.

According to the EPA, paper accounts for 28 percent of municipal waste contributing 26 million tons to landfills. Though paper towels are great for compost, sorting waste in public bathrooms is a challenge to say the least. These sorting issues plus fiber quality means paper towels used in public spaces are rarely recycled and often end up in landfills.

Switching to reusable cloth towels at work, school or on the go protects natural resources, and reduces waste, pollution, and energy consumption.

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How To

Tuck a cloth napkin or small towel in your bag (try carrying it in a cloth or waterproof baggie in case it gets wet or if buffalo wings are involved). Then, instead of reaching for a paper napkin at a restaurant or a paper towel in a public restroom, pull out your reusable cloth. What could be easier?