This is the first of a two-part series on helping forests to endure for as long as possible and will guide you in future quests to buy eco-friendly paper. The second part will focus on how to become a more efficient recycler of paper-products.

Given the option of loving the oxygen-generating ornaments we call trees, or tearing them to shreds and shooing away their residents, the answer would be quite evident. The answer to which paper supplies to buy, however, is not as clear when your mission is keeping Earth’s green jacket intact. Why so challenging? As we found with plastics, the recycling logo alone isn’t a guarantee of being recyclable or from a recycled source, and the“100% recycled” claim doesn’t always mean that virgin trees weren’t assaulted. (more)

You can better trust the rotating recycling symbol when a dark circle surrounds it accompanied by words indicating percentages of pre and post-consumer recycled content. “Pre-consumer” simply means that scraps (mostly virgin) from the manufacturing process were utilized, while “post-consumer” means it came from heart-felt businesses and civilians who took their bins to the street. Nevertheless, “post-consumer” papers also have their own naughty to nice spectrum with high percentages proving to be the nicest and most deserving of your dough.

Bleaching is another factor to look out for when acquiring eco-friendly paper products, as it’s an energy and water intensive process that leaves a trail of toxic organochlorine compounds in its wake. Average paper mills discard trillions of gallons of contaminated water each year, devastating wildlife populations and introducing toxins to our food and water supply that lead to cancer and other ailments (ref: www.naturalnews.com). Support only companies with PCF (process chlorine free) and TCF (totally chlorine free) labels, avoiding ECF (elemental chlorine free) labels whose products still produce organochlorines.

Also, pass up the numerous Kimberly Clark toilet papers, paper towels, napkins and tissues as these papers (Kleenex, Scott, Viva, Cottonelle) are not only bleached, but made entirely from ancient forests clear-cut solely for a one-time date with you (ref: kleercut.net).  Finally, visit conservatree.com for more information on purchasing eco-friendly paper, and be sure to buy tree-free whenever possible.