"Who Knew Paper and Ink Could Be So Vicious"

February 21, 2019

By Junia Lee

Paper. A source of entertainment. A place for notes. A planner full of possibilities, dates, and schedules. Paper is an essential tool for our lives today, whether we like it or not. The production of paper being a high demand leads us to the problem of its effects. This is not a new concept nor is it one that has been resolved.

Although the awareness of deforestation and the increase in the amount of waste have risen, we, humans, still overuse this utensil. Annually, 90 million short tons of paper and paperboard are used across the United States, which averages out to be 700 pounds of paper per person each year. Over 40% of municipal solid waste is composed of paper (71.8 million tons each year), as well.

Personally, I use a whole bunch of paper on a daily basis and sometimes I do not even realize that I do. This is a problem for most of the society. When it comes to something that is always provided and easy to obtain, it is hard to see the huge effects it has.

Before technology and internet, paper was all that we had and it became a staple appliance to fulfill our necessities such as education, jobs, entertainment, etc. Using paper has many pros, and studies even show that writing it down is better than working it online. Brain activity is higher, and putting pen to paper allows for more orientation and activation of your Caudate Nucleus. However, the mass production of this product is causing harm to the environment, both on land and in the atmosphere. Every tree produces enough oxygen to provide for 3 people to breathe, but 17 are needed to make 1 ton of paper. The demands of paper overrides the population of trees immensely, making it a crucial problem especially to the organisms that need them. Even more so, paper is not only made up of trees but of other materials that require manufacturing. The mass production undergoes many processes and uses up water, oil, landfill and energy. The production of paper not only creates habitat loss, but the pollution of air.

The solution that humanity sought out was recycling. Although the process of recycling is very meticulous and requires certain regulations, it has allowed for half of the paper used in the US to be reused. Paper fibers can be recycled 5 to 7 times before it is too short to be recycled again. Today, 86% of the Americans have access to recycling programs and more than half of the population is served by more than 9000 curbside collection programs. And according to Waste-Free Mail, if we were to recycle 500 books, we would be saving 17-31 trees, 7000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587 pounds of air pollution, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space and 4077 kilowatt hours of energy. Upon looking at the statistics, this is a huge step into countering the amounts of waste we produce and decreasing the amounts of pollution and deforestation.

How else could we preserve the trees other than recycling paper?

Do you think that we should still use paper?

How can we use paper and preserve the environment at the same time?

Works Cited:
- https://www.craftyourcontent.com/science-behind-writing-brain/
- https://www.prezi.com/m/kio-xkuunpsq/its-all-about-paper/
- https://washingtonpost.com/local/paper-or-pixels-after-years-of-decline-the-paper-industry-tries-to-win-back-consumers-hearts/2015/07/29/c942d6f0-3213-11e5-97ae-30a30cca95d7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9c90061b692d
- https://wastefreemail.com/faq.html

Comments

Anonymous said…

I do agree that we all should find a balance between our use of paper, which as stated in the blog post has many benefits, but also ensure that our paper use is not too excessive in harming the environment. Due to the fact that most paper is composed of paper pulp, cutting down wild trees contributes to deforestation, a decreased ability of trees to filter pollution, and the loss of habitat for wildlife and releases CO2 directly into the atmosphere. An alternative to using traditional paper made out of paper pulp, eco-friendly paper could be implemented since it is a greener and more eco-friendly version of traditional paper and the two types of eco-friendly paper is recycled paper and FSC Certified paper. Recycled paper is made from consumer waste rather than wood pulp, so by implementing the widespread recycling of paper products, we could reduce the extent of deforestation that is intended to gather wood population, and recycled paper has the benefit of not requiring fresh trees when creating more recycled paper. There is also FSC certified paper, which means that the FSC (or the Forest Stewardship Council that is a group of businesses and community leaders that aim to oversee timber production to ensure that forests are being managed in a sustainable way) would ensure that all paper and wood products that it would certify would be created through sustainable practices and it also considers the ethical treatment of the indigenous people who are involved with timber production. Also, FSC certified paper is also beneficial in the way that it is similar in appearance in to traditional paper and some FSC certified paper can even be made with non-wood products such as wheat straw. Thus, there are numerous alternatives to the usage of traditional paper that are more environmentally friendly.
(Source: https://www.greenmatters.com/news/2017/07/27/2wxd95/eco-friendly-paper).

February 22, 2019 at 6:55 AM

Anonymous said…

I believe that paper is an essential tool for society and that the production of paper is affecting the environment. I believe that the best way to preserve trees without recycling is to create paper without the use of trees. For example, there is the creation of paper with bamboo and cotton. Paper should still be used because paper provides so many useful products for note taking and other school essentials. We can use paper and save the environment at the same time by recycling or using the tree free paper.

February 22, 2019 at 9:19 AM

Anonymous said…

I think that it is best to avoid using paper as much as possible, which is much easier with the widespread use of technology like iPads. However, this alternative is not available for all people. Another option is using a majority of recycled materials becuase there is some paper companies which have more sustainable practices-like instead of cutting trees for paper, only use those that have fallen down. There is a plethora of ways to avoid using traditional paper.

February 22, 2019 at 10:40 AM

Anonymous said…

I think this is a very important topic to address because most people are aware that overuse of paper products is an issue, but very few people are conscious of their own paper usage and actively working to reduce their waste. Personally, I also struggle with this concept of overuse because I love to write, draw, and craft, but I understand that the environment’s uncertain future has more repercussions than my lack of entertainment. To help with this, I think people must think of creative ways to repurpose paper and be willing to keep track of how much paper they use on a daily and weekly basis. Use of technology is ultimately the best solution, but it’s currently impossible to expect widespread affordability of such devices.

February 24, 2019 at 8:42 AM

Anonymous said…

I completely agree. An everyday tool of human life has severe implications on the environment. Therefore, we must take an active role in regulating our paper-making process by adoping new practices which preserve the environment. For example, planting more trees than we cut down. Understanding the practical benefits of paper, we should continue to use it as our alternatives also cause environmental damage. However, we must maintain eco-friendly practices like promoting recycled paper rather than fresh sheets of paper. By maintaining eco-friendly practices and using recycled paper, we can continue to use paper and preserve the environment.

February 25, 2019 at 11:19 AM

Anonymous said…

It is indeed necessary to find a healthy balance between the usage of paper for good and conservation. Paper usage is no doubt necessary there is no way we can just stop usage, but there are many steps that we can take to lower the impact that we have on the environment. There are so many ways we can do this such as by recycling the clean left over paper we have and make sure that we are only using paper as it is necessary.

February 25, 2019 at 12:35 PM

Anonymous said…

I am definitely torn between retaining the information by writing it on paper and using online sources. Do we really have to compromise this? Perhaps learning to use paper more efficiently, or using online sources such as notability will be more eco friendly. Maybe we can start by using the backs of old printed papers— my family implements this practice. With the colorfully printed ads that arrive at our door that we would never read, we use the white backs to do math problems or doodle. We can start small.

February 25, 2019 at 1:20 PM

Anonymous said…

I think this problem is very relevant to many people in our community. A lot of us use paper on a daily basis, mostly for education. Contrary to popular belief, recycling doesn't save trees. At least not in commercial working forests, which is where our pulp and paper comes from. In a commercial forest, the same trees that are used to produce pulp and paper are also used to produce other commodities, such as lumber and veneer. Some parts of the same tree also can end up as firewood to heat rural homes or biomass to fuel steam boilers for industry and electrical generators. Tree loss affects our environment in many ways, including a decrease in the qualities of our air, water, and even our lives. Thus, we must continue in our efforts to preserve trees and reduce deforestation. Protecting the world’s forests should be our very first priority in fighting global warming and climate change.

February 25, 2019 at 2:11 PM

Anonymous said…

I find the fact of the consequences of widespread paper use hard to deal with. I have always been one of those people that prefers a pen and pencil over technology. However, there is no doubt that this can prove very problematic in the future. I never realized the extent of the problem. Now that I’m enlightened on it I will definitely be making changes to my lifestyle. Obviously I can’t just abandoned my beloved notebooks, but perhaps I can try to limit my use of paper. I remember one teacher keeping a drawer of papers that students had used to just write a couple of things. She saved so much paper by just using those when she needed to jot something down instead of grabbing a fresh sheet if paper. Perhaps one day we will find an alternative more similar to the joys of pen and paper that will be more environmentally sound. Until then, I should probably get a stylus.

February 25, 2019 at 3:50 PM

Anonymous said…

Recycling is a very important part of keeping our environment clean and using our resources wisely. Although I prefer using paper and pencil during school and other aspects of daily life, using technology helps save trees and paper. Using technology might not be ideal for some people, but if they do use paper it should be recycled and reused. Not only should we recycle, we also need to make sure we keep planting trees that we cut down. I think paper should still be used for somethings because technology is not always reliable, but many things can be done on technology rather than paper.

February 26, 2019 at 2:09 PM

Anonymous said…

This is such an interesting topic. Whenever I think about paper, the sustainability aspect doesn't even gross my mind. I think that it's typically a better material that plastic because it can be more widely recycled, but I never stop to think about how much damage we're doing by producing so much paper. Almost everyone uses paper everyday. I know there are some companies that plant the same amount of trees that they cut down, but is it doing enough? It's got me thinking about what kind of materials we can use that are really sustainable.

February 26, 2019 at 5:51 PM

Anonymous said…

I believe it is extremely important to find a balance between the amount of paper we use and the amount of trees we cut down. Although paper has many different uses and there are benefits to using paper, the mass presence of paper is not worth the effect it’s production has on the environment. Therefore, I feel people should try to reduce how much paper they use and switch to an almost completely technological dependent lifestyle, especially in developed nations. Neatly, I believe everyone should work to recycle the paper that has already been produced. I understand paper won’t be obsolete anytime soon, but, if everyone makes a small effort to reduce their usage, we will see a suprisingly positive result.

February 26, 2019 at 6:13 PM

Anonymous said…

I believe that it is important to cut down on paper use because it harms the environment. I personally prefer doing all my work on my iPad and be paperless. A small effort to try to reduce paper usage and trash will yield large results and help the environment.

February 26, 2019 at 7:25 PM

Anonymous said…

Paper seems to be such a commonly used object, as it is used almost everywhere for a variety of reasons. Due to its exceptional functionality and convenience factor, I feel many people are overlooking the immense environmental impact paper production has on the environment. I feel that a combined approach of incorporating more technology into areas that have been dominated by paper, while also making a more conscious effort to recycle our paper products will help us preserve the environment much more. By increasing the usage of technology and cutting down on the demand for paper, we could save trees, which in turn would help us save oxygen, water, and money,

February 26, 2019 at 9:44 PM

Caroline Tuggle said…

While I am a big fan of writing everything down in a notebook over using an ipad, I do believe that there are ways to remain ecofriendly while doing so . There are notebooks that contain paper completely made from recycled materials. People can develop better, more efficient methods of recycling. There are many ways that our population can cut down their impact on the environment while still enjoying using resources such as paper. Those who use technology instead of paper are simply executing a different form of ecofriendliness . I am still a strong believer in the use of paper, but I do believe that there are better ways to utilize our resources to have a lesser impact on our environment .

February 28, 2019 at 9:06 AM

Anonymous said…

Paper is so widely used and such an important commodity even with the arrival of technology that people overlook what a damaging impact it has on the environment. However, even if the use of paper is inevitable, it can be conserved, reused and recycled in such a way that its effects are largely reduced. Technology can be used to a greater degree in order to conserve but what is more important than the transition from paper to technology is to use paper in a more sustainable manner because although it may not seem like a lot, collectively it could make a huge difference.

February 28, 2019 at 4:26 PM

Mallory Odom said…

I'm typically a fan of physically writing things down, but I also try to use paper effeciently and not waste it. While using technology can be an good alternative to paper, using paper isn't 100% bad, as long as you use it conservatively. One thing to consider is how much paper we still use in schools depsite our heavy use of technology. Many of my teachers still use paper for most assignments, and don't use class copies. If we are going to continue to use paper at the rate we are, we need to learn how to use it in a way that is efficent and not wasteful.

February 28, 2019 at 5:12 PM

Anonymous said…

One way we can tackle the paper problem is, as you said, transitioning into digital means of recording and communication. By relying on technology to replace the role of paper, paper usage will drastically decrease; items like e-books, iPads, and texting can all drastically reduce the amount of paper used. Paper and technology can both exist in conjunction -- the only thing necessary is to decrease the usage of paper. Although completely eliminating paper usage is not possible, small efforts to cut down on waste can have a large impact globally.

February 28, 2019 at 6:30 PM

Anonymous said…

I do feel like eventually switching to a completely digital experience for a variety of things such as school, work, and businesses is definitely the way to go to help solve this problem. By doing so we would obviously be preserving paper and be fixing a lot of the problems that you mentioned. However, I also feel like we are already slowly but surely fixing the problem ourselves. There are more and more companies wanting to switch to a more eco friendly way of harvesting wood, and in the near future, we many not even be using paper at all. With the technological revolution, this could possibly be a problem that fixes itself.

February 28, 2019 at 9:37 PM

Anonymous said…

I also use huge amounts of paper in my daily life. I'd rather take notes on paper than on my iPad and many other people like me do the same. For this reason, we very rarely notice how much paper we use. However, as we continue to progress in the digital world the use of paper in our daily lives is continually decreasing. I also feel like a switch to digital notes and a digital planner would benefit me more as you can access it whenever needed. Your blog post gave me a lot of insight about how I can change my own lifestyle to help this cause.

February 28, 2019 at 9:57 PM

Anonymous said…

In the modern age, computers and tablets have revolutionized books, note-taking, and other things once reserved for paper. I myself usually do homework, read books and articles, and write online. However, paper usage is still too high to be environmentally sustainable. Places with poor internet connection or lack of digital devices also rely on paper heavily. Switching to a completely digital mode for note taking and reading might be easy for us, but many would struggle. However, in completely developed countries, these substitutions should be encouraged.

March 1, 2019 at 12:06 PM

Anonymous said…

Even though we have come into the era of "paperless" technology the use of paper is inevitable, nearly everyone in the world can use it and afford it. Paper is a very useful tool when it comes to writing down information or just drawing, but I think its limitless uses is the reason why it is still used heavily even with the advent of technology. The second thing is that tablets, phones, and computers are not readily available everywhere in the world due to their high prices. Because of this, we are still sure that until these technologies become cheaper than paper and electricity reaches everywhere, the wide use of paper will always be a thing.

March 2, 2019 at 4:47 AM

Unknown said…

Despite the fact that our society has become techinigy oriented, paper still remains an important role in several aspects of life. I think people should be aware of how it can have damaging impacts and reduce their use. Teachers, for example, can use more technology based work and interact with technology more often, a system I think is being encouraged and implemented well today.
-Hannah Lee

March 2, 2019 at 7:49 AM

Luke Farinelli said…

I love the paperless fad that went around a couple of years ago. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have sticked around, at least not in our school. This could be because of the research you cited about the better learning with paper, but I still feel like we could do a lot to save paper, especially in the Math Department in our school. All of my math classes have been almost entirely paper-only which could be dialed back a lot more than some think, even without the degradation of learning like you said. But your stats about recycling were REALLY cool. Maybe we could help our math Classes better recycle, and keep the paper in the cycle. Either way, gotta do something.

March 2, 2019 at 4:39 PM

Anonymous said…

Many companies and schools have moved away from paper, using software such as canvas to assign assignments to the students, but paper still plays a big part in our lives. People blindly use and waste paper, and need to be aware of their damaging impacts on the environment, and strive to reduce paper use in their lives. Even though schools, offices, and other establishments are on the right track, it might take decades fir the use of paper to be completely eliminated.

March 2, 2019 at 5:52 PM

Anonymous said…

It is pretty interesting that even in our school we are finding a way to limit paper use. Our math and english classes are now being given class sets of apple pencils to incentivize students to take notes online which decreases the amount of paper these departments need to use. The ipads that we were given in middle school also do this because of the assignments we are now able to do online rather than on paper. These are just small steps that have been taken to limit paper use and should become more globalized in order to better this problem.
-Adam Ghanem

March 3, 2019 at 5:14 PM

Anonymous said…

I think its very important for us to find a balance between the amount of trees we cut and the amount of paper we use just like stated above. I know a lot of teachers recylce papers within multiple classes and that could be a way of being more efficient with limiting the amount of paper we use. However, more recently ive noticed that almost everything is used through our IPads.. especially out notes. I personally prefer handwriting notes but I dont mind doing all my work on my iPad and be paperless if it betters our environment. A small effort to try to reduce paper usage and trash will greatly better our planet.

March 5, 2019 at 9:08 PM

Anonymous said…

We definitely need to start restricting our high usage of paper and find a good balance. I love the idea of schools across the nation beginning to implement online sources rather than hard copy worksheets. In my opinion, this will most definitely reap many benefits for us in the future and w should continue to advocate the usage of online resources rather than wasting paper. Although it is perfectly okay to use paper when necessary, the continued development of technology and online resources is a huge step in the right direction.

March 7, 2019 at 7:03 PM

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