Going green — By Stephanie on June 18, 2009 at 6:46 am

You may be able to talk the talk when it comes to saving the environment, but what is your green bottom line? Would you use toilet paper made from post-consumer recycling products?

Many people might answer the question “yes,” but then choose the plush, pillow-y softness of Charmin or Cottenelle when no one is watching. But did you know that there is an, “ahem” Happy Ending to this story?

Its true, you can wipe in comfort and still protect your green bottom line.

Time Magazine recently ran a story about the greenest toilet papers on the market, comparing the relative amounts of post-consumer recycle products, overall recycled products and… perhaps most important … comfort factor.

If you don’t want to flush your money or the planet’s virgin forests down the drain, then its time to consider the content of your toilet paper.

Fast facts:

Toilet paper with 100% recycled fiber comprises only 2% of the TP market in the United States

Using recycled materials is only part of the green equation – manufacturers also need to adopt less toxic bleaching processes

If every household in the United States replaced ONE single 500-sheet roll of toilet paper with one made with 100% recycled paper, 425,000 trees would be saved each year!

Greenpeace has been pushing the toilet paper issue for 4 years. Some companies are responding – including Seventh Generation, Marcal Small Steps, 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods) and Scott. But American consumers are the hardest sell. In Europe and Latin America, green toilet paper comprises 20% of the market, as opposed to a paltry 2% in the U.S. We’re not talking about sandpaper here, folks!

Time’s article indicated that Seventh Generation brand toilet paper (80% post-consumer, 100% overall recycled) is the best bet for comfort, value and “greeness.” Why not conduct your own tush-test?

What else can you do? Commit to buying toilet paper that is made with recycled products and stop purchasing plush “Hummer-style” TP from virgin forests. Write to companies like Charmin, Cottenelle and Scott and request more green offerings. If you work outside of the home, see if you can help influence the purchasing decisions so that your employer will buy the greenest toilet paper available.

Consider that a small sacrifice on the porcelain throne will help hundreds of thousands of trees. What is YOUR green bottom line? How far would you go – or resist – to make a real difference?