Blow Your Nose – Without Blowing Away More Trees

The sniffles are going around, and so is deforestation. When you buy tissues, be sure to buy tissues made from recycled paper.

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By Selene Aparicio

It's cold season and runny noses are making their annual appearance. The most eco-friendly way to blow your nose is to use the old-fashioned handkerchief. However, if carrying a used hankie in your pocket adds a stomach ache to your symptoms, look into the option of purchasing tissues made with 100% recycled paper.

According to the Resource Conservation Alliance, each American uses approximately 800 pounds of paper per year. By using paper products made from 100% recycled material you not only help protect forests by lowering the demand for trees, but you also help lower the formation of toxic dioxins and furans in the environment by avoiding products bleached with chlorine.

Greenpeace has been waging a public, and recently successful, campaign to get major manufacturers of disposable paper products like tissues to stop using wood from old-growth forests, particularly in the vast Canadian boreal forest.

Here is a list of some of our favorite recycled tissue brands:

Seventh Generation ($13.25 for three boxes at amazon.com)
Green Forest ($46.21 for a 24-box case at amazon.com)
Natural Value
Small Steps by Marcal ($33.29 for a 30-box carton at sears.com)

For more options, consult this handy Greenpeace guide to recycled paper products (you can even download an app, or print a pocket guide). Or if your ready to give the old hankie a try, check out this pack of reusable organic cotton tissues from Better For Grownups. Just throw them in the wash when your ready for a clean one.

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