David Orr (dgorr@ucdavis.edu) writes,
< "Why do we need paper, in this age of the computer?"
Although I sit in front of my computer on most (too many) days, the
majority of the people I know do not have a computer. In addition, I
shudder at the thought of curling up with a good "computer screen" to
read a new novel.
I fully agree that we should and could dramatically reduce our use of
paper and cardboard. Wasted paper from copy machines, etc. and
unnecessary packaging is a unfortunate reality that we should all
discourage. I do not think that we are anywhere near ready to "go on
the wagon" and totally give up paper. For the paper/cardboard needs
that we are (realistically) not ready or able to give up, pine
plantations or other such tree-farms are a good alternative.
If we are concerned about environmental effects such as pesticide
contamination and/or erosion/sedimentation we should pay more
attention to agricultural settings. A pine plantation is much more
desirable than a cotton field in a highly erodible area, or in an area
that is dry only because of extensive (and expensive to all of us
except a few landowners) government stream control. With use of
proper streamside management zones a tree-farm should not cause
excessive siltation over the long term.
Somewhere I read (I think it may have been David South) that use of
natural gas (being fossil fuel) to heat a home was less
environmentally friendly than burning wood. As I travel through
northern Arkansas each winter to visit family, my eyes will often
sting because of the dense wood smoke that hangs over many areas.
That does not seem to be very "environmentally friendly" to me. Would
it not be better to use more insulation? Perhaps we could make better
use of earth sheltered homes and reduce the waste and pollution of
manufacturing fiberglass and/or foam insulation in addition to
reducing the excessive use of wood.
The bottom line is that we as a society are far from ready to give up
paper and other wood products, but we should be able to reduce our
consumption considerably.
BobK
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# Bob Keeland, Ph.D. FOREST ECOLOGIST #
# NBS, Southern Science Center PHONE: (318) 266-8663 #
# 700 CajunDome Blvd. FAX: (318) 266-8592 #
# Lafayette, LA 70506 INTERNET: keelandb@nwrc.gov #
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