Paper Calculator: Speak for the Trees
Calling all crafters, illustrators, and graphic designers: If you’ve ever wondered what the impact of your paper choices was, do some number crunching with Environmental Defense’s Paper Calculator. Above is a comparison of 1 ton of solid bleached sulfate paperboard with zero percent recycled content, versus 1 ton of the same paperboard, but with 100 percent recycled content.
In this case, simply choosing recycled saves 4 tons of wood (or 26 trees), 18 million BTUs of energy, more than 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide, nearly 9800 gallons of water, and 1,080 pounds of waste.
Mosey over to plug in your own numbers, especially if you work with paper or know someone who does. For alternatives to virgin paper products, check out Celery Design’s comprehensive guide. And the UK-based Lovely as a Tree debunks some recycled-paper myths.
