Ecology Musings…
While Larry & I were shopping at The Evil Retail Empire Walmart yesterday, I mentioned an article I’d read that stated the toilet paper most Americans use in a year is worse for the environment than driving a Hummer. Americans are toilet paper hogs, y’all: we use like 3 times as much TP as our European and Asian brethren. Do we use the loo more often? Sport dryer tushies? I dunno. Plus, we insist on planet-polluting, soft, fluffy stuff. Not cool. The article listed the eco-friendly brands (the only one of which I recalled was Trader Joe’s) and the planet-ravaging brands (the only one of which I remembered was my fave, Charmin). And toilet paper was on our shopping list. Because dry tushies are a priority around here.
Well, all Larry had to hear was “…worse than driving a Hummer”. If there’s one thing that gets his liberal heart a-bleeding, it’s seeing a big honkin’ Hummer (ALWAYS with only one person inside–what’s up with that?) driving along the street or taking up two parking places. He reasoned that if the fluffy, foo-foo stuff was a no-no, then HIS fave, Scott’s, should be the solution. (Some of you may recall Larry’s Scott Toilet Paper Philosophy: “When you use Scott’s, you KNOW you’ve been wiped”). So into the cart goes a king-sized pack of Scotts.
When we got home, I checked the article. Damned if Scott’s isn’t just as bad as my Charmin! So I figure that third-world toilet paper is the way the environmentalists want us to go. But if scratchy-butt Scott’s is too decadent, the other stuff must leave splinters. This ecology stuff hurts.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
You know, in some cultures they just use their hand. Now THAT’s eco-friendly AND one hand will last a lifetime (hopefully)!!!
March 18th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Yeah. I know the mideastern tribesmen use one hand exclusively for eating and the other for-uh-sanitation. Except I can never remember which hand is which. Which is why I’d be reluctant to shake hands with a nomad, lest I grasp the potty hand. Ew.