We use a lot of paper in our day to day, but it doesn’t have to be that way!

[Creative Commons photo by Eunice]

Americans go through 700 pounds of paper products per person on average every single year. That’s a lot of trees! On top of things like paper towels and tissues, billions of menstrual products end up in the bin. In 1988, a field study found that 6.5 billion tampons and 13.5 billion sanitary pads and their packaging end up in America’s waste stream annually. You’ve got a weapon to fight all this waste right in your craft room: your sewing machine or even a simple needle and thread! Here are a few ways you can stitch your way to less waste.

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We have good news, people. You can experience this cloth napkin sensation in your own home. All you need to do is use (well, this seems rather obvious, but…) your cloth napkins. We know you have them. You get them out every Thanksgiving and Christmas and try to remember how to fold them in swan shapes. We think you should use them all year long - every day. Go tree free at dinner!

If we're talking daily use, you actually might need some extra napkins (look for eco-fabrics!), but once you've got them, they will last for years. Compare that to those paper napkins that sometimes require more than one just to get through a meal! Here's how it will work:

1. Remove paper napkins from sight.
2. Put a cloth napkin in front of each place setting at the table. Swans are optional. We tend to go with a simple fold down the middle, then a tri-fold to get a nice manageable rectangle shape.
3. Explain that "this is a high-class family that also cares for the environment" and that's why there's a change. Encourage them to use the napkins as they would any other. (Have you ever been to a dinner party where cloth napkins are out, but if a napkin was actually needed you used paper? We've seen it happen.)
4. You have a choice on this one:
   1. Super green: If the napkins aren't what you would consider dirty, save them for the same person to use at the next meal.
   2. Clean freak? Resist the tempation, but if you must: Put the napkins in the dirty clothes.
5. Wash the napkins once you have a full load of laundry. DO NOT run the washing machine for just a couple of napkins. That will probably erase all of the eco-benefits of avoiding the paper use in the first place.
6. As with any time you use the washing machine, make sure to adjust the water level to the appropriate setting, wash on cold if possible, and use as eco-friendly detergent as you can.

Get your family involved and have some fun with it! And give "the swan" or 26 other folds a shot: 27 Cloth Napkin Folds.

Rebecca says: Step #4.1 above is where you are going to get the most environmental bang on this one. Give it a shot. In order to make it work, you might want to give each family member a different color. Oh, and did we mention if you use cloth napkins, you can do the cool "bra trick" at the dinner table? Priceless.

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