New York Times reporter Leslie Kaufman, who works for a paper that prints over one million copies every day, lectured Americans for using wastefully cushy toilet paper in Thursday's "What Mr. Whipple Didn't Say: Softer Paper Is Costly to Forests."
Americans like their toilet tissue soft: exotic confections that are silken, thick and hot-air-fluffed.
The national obsession with soft paper has driven the growth of brands like Cottonelle Ultra, Quilted Northern Ultra and Charmin Ultra -- which in 2008 alone increased its sales by 40 percent in some markets, according to Information Resources, Inc., a marketing research firm.
But fluffiness comes at a price: millions of trees harvested in North America and in Latin American countries, including some percentage of trees from rare old-growth forests in Canada. Although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them.
Naturally, America is to blame:
Other countries are far less picky about toilet tissue. In many European nations, a rough sheet of paper is deemed sufficient. Other countries are also more willing to use toilet tissue made in part or exclusively from recycled paper.
Questions not answered in the paper's latest example of obsessive environmentalism: How many trees have to die every year for the Times to print one million copies of its daily edition and 1.5 million of its Sunday behemoth? And how much recycling takes place in the process? After all, newsprint is notoriously costly to recycle. An earnest ecology blogger from (yes) Berkeley contacted the Times and was disappointed with the figures she got back:
...only the NY Times had gotten back to me, stating that the paper they use ranges from 21 to 28% recycled content. The ambiguity of that statement is that they consider waste paper from their plants to be recycled content, which obfuscates the question as to whether it is post-consumer fiber or not (and they didn't answer my question on post-consumer fiber).
If the Times seriously wants to get rid of cushy toilet paper, it should at least be proactive and offer its readers other sanitary choices.
And haven't we all imagined alternative uses for our daily Times?
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Too bad - what is this, the 2nd Bolshevik Revolution?
February 26, 2009 - 18:08 ET by SickofLibsThe American anus has been groomed to accept nothing less.
I have tried the NY Times - NOT acceptable!
Followup: this is why half
February 26, 2009 - 18:09 ET by SickofLibsFollowup: this is why half of Europe is walking around with skidmarks in their Calvin Kleins.
Hey, in Saudia Arabia they
February 26, 2009 - 18:23 ET by eaglewingz08Hey, in Saudia Arabia they use stones and the left hand. Is that more environmentally friendly?
In the Mid-East it is my
February 26, 2009 - 18:31 ET by Clear thinkerIn the Mid-East it is my understanding that Muslims prefer to use other people's hands to wipe with.
Peaceful Islam - What A Joke!
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
Good evening Sick
February 26, 2009 - 18:32 ET by cocodrieThe NYT would only be useful on the left cheek anyway.
Jesus Loves You
The NY Times and toilet
February 27, 2009 - 04:59 ET by EdhenryThe NY Times and toilet paper.
One of them is useful.
Hey, there's a new use for
February 26, 2009 - 18:24 ET by EugeniaHey, there's a new use for the NYT. All it prints is pro-liberal fluff.
Maybe their paper can be useful after all.
I actually prefer the first page
February 26, 2009 - 18:27 ET by JTPfrom the Times. It is light and fluffy and void of irritating relevance. It's absorbent when squished into a wad and it gives me comfort to know that I have not wasted anything when I flush it away.
"I need more cowbell!" SNL
It is so irritating how
February 26, 2009 - 18:33 ET by lizabethIt is so irritating how some people use the excuse of "Well, in Europe blah blah blah..." for just about every reason for the United States to adopt new ideas/beliefs.
I just spent a year studying in Europe. I can attest that, yes, Europeans do use the recycled toilet paper. But, you can also buy the "fluffy, cushy" stuff as well. In fact, I cannot recall going into too many public restrooms that had only the recycled stuff. Also, it isn't like stores only carry the rough stuff. They have just as many selections as the stores in the United States.
If they are so worried about who uses what kind of toilet paper, the NYT should cut back on printing their newspapers. I mean, both wind up in the trash at the end of the day anyway.
What these people haven't
February 26, 2009 - 18:33 ET by bigtimerWhat these people haven't already destroyed and shut down with the logging industry over the last 25 years, they will now with this administatration...one way or the other other.
We are talking about whole communities who were self-sufficient and growing, no need for the fed $$$...we can't have that now can we?
You never hear about any of this though, just the greenies BS agenda, not the real working people who worked hard and loved their towns...their livelihoods/small business and big mills were destroyed.
We know from experience....it has been a crying shame...to say the least.
bt... I may have told you
February 26, 2009 - 18:40 ET by Clear thinkerbt...
I may have told you this story before, so just in case I have, I will keep it very short.
I was arguing with a tree hugger at a local tavern about logging. We debated our points for some 40 minutes. He was against cutting of ANY trees. I stuck to my renewable resource argument. I ended the debate when I found out that this moron made his living as a............. carpenter. These people are retarded!
Peaceful Islam - What A Joke!
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
Hi Ct... No, I don't
February 26, 2009 - 19:03 ET by bigtimerHi Ct...
No, I don't think you have told me that before...or if you did, I missed the post...this is guy you are talking about is absolutely insane in my way of thinking...good thing I wasn't there...lol. I have had my rounds now and then in the taverns with some greenies, and get this, they worked for the...you guessed it...the Forest Service!
Seriously, it would be funny if it weren't so maddening....and destructive, I won't even get into the fed agencies they use to do part of this with also to shut down logging, the forest, let along the health of the forests from beetle kill, let alone thinning for fire danger and a healthy forest...
...but then again Ct....that is NOT what they want...not at all.
The art of logging and the love for it that is in your blood is a dying breed...sadly.
If people knew what the people like Earth first did and does to the trees themselves, the danger to fallers with spikes they put in the trees, and the destruction to equipment, and roadblocks for weeks to a site you have contracted with a mill for and have employees who need to get to work, you would be beyond patience...
I've got to just shut up about it.
Ct,
February 26, 2009 - 19:16 ET by R D HelmROFL!
Damn, that made my evening. :-)
These morons are truly too stupid to live.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Oh here we go again with the
February 26, 2009 - 18:37 ET by rimskyOh here we go again with the toilet paper cops! What the hell is the deal with these idiots? Don't they EVER make? Stay the eff out of my bathroom! Cheezzzeeee!!
SAVE A FOREST. CHOP DOWN
February 26, 2009 - 18:50 ET by Jack BauerSAVE A FOREST. CHOP DOWN THE NYTIMES INSTEAD.
Actually the Slimes is one hopeless mess oF hypocrital jerks. And coincidentally, headed for the crapper too.
And that's without mentioning the lavish Lear Jet Lifestyles of the Schultzberg family which owns the ELITE. not available to the public. controlling class of shares.
Consider this -- day in day out the NYTimes LECTURES on economics -- particularly thru their Spokesmarxist Krugman... yet it can't even run its own organization profitably. The stock is near junk. It used corrput Eminent Domain to steal prime New York land from its rightful owners to build its new new building .
So.. incompetent, thieving, arrogant and sanctimonious. Just like Obama and his administration.
And take the Boston Globe down with it ;-)
February 26, 2009 - 19:12 ET by Cape ConservativeIt is no dishonor to be in a minority in the cause of liberty and virtue. ~ Sam Adams
Hell, I'll throw in the Al Jazeera Urinal/Constipation, too
February 26, 2009 - 19:30 ET by R D HelmTalk about a waste of trees!
Besides, I think its high time Cynthia Tucker went out and got herself a real job, anyway. :-)
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Not even fit for my arse
February 26, 2009 - 18:49 ET by ArchConservativeI wouldn't even use the Times to wipe myself with. If the NYT touches my fingers it's only by accident. As soon as these ignorant, snobbish leftists who are too afraid of calling themselves by their true name (liberal) shut down all their newspapers and save the world millions of trees, I will stop calling them hypocrites (at least on this issue).
Take your 1 sheet, 1 ply, anti-USA Sheryl Crowe stupidity and shove it, and while you do it, use European tissue. I've used it, and all I can say is "Thank the Lord, I am an American".
You support the troops by supporting the mission! If you don't support the mission, have the guts to say you don't support the troops.
Obama: Not my President. Ever.
Why not al NYT on a roll?
February 26, 2009 - 18:52 ET by slickwillie2001Y'know, I've often wondered why mister taxaholic Bloomberg hasn't put an enormous tax on newspapers, given the load they represent to our landfills and garbage collection systems. I think fifty cents would be about right. After all, one annual subscription to the New York Times will entirely fill one garbage truck.
Now on the other hand, one could think out of the box and print the New York Times on a roll of toilet paper, thus solving both problems.
The New York Times once
February 26, 2009 - 19:03 ET by celatorThe New York Times once again blasts away at another American industry---while relying on the very same resources processed by Canadians and US citizens to create the New York Times--wood.
Here are some interesting data about the NYT regarding their use of wood to produce that useless rag.
1. Counting all editions, M-F, plus Sunday edition--6,830,000 copies a week (2007)
http://www.answers.c...
2. This press run consumes 27,320 cords of wood a week or about 1,430,640 cords a year
3. One acre produces about one cord of harvestable wood per year.
4. So the New York Times consumes the harvestable wood on about 1,430,640 acres a year.
To get a sense of what that looks like: people in the state of Maine burn about 529,000 cords of wood to keep warm in the winter. So the NYT uses about 1/3 of that amount.
The good news is that's a lot of good jobs produced--loggers, drivers, mechanics, chain saw manufacturers, foresters, paper mill employees etc.
The bad news is that all those resources and labor produce the New York Times, which is doing everything it can to destroy itself, and thus jeapordizing the employment of all these folks.
The NYT company published about 24 newspapers in 2007.
Mickey Mouse is one
of "Satan's soldiers" and must die, says Saudi Arabian cleric Sheikh
Muhammad Munajid. - Daily Telegraph (UK), 9/15/08
Interior Sec./Gas Prices
February 26, 2009 - 20:35 ET by bigtimercel...
Read this and weep...btw...Salazar, the only guy who makes a cowboy hat look bad did this to his own state too...(I remember how he voted, and his speeches, it doesn't surprise me one bit)
Be prepared soon for gas prices to rise further than they were...I'm serious...
Remember when O said he wanted high gas prices, higher than they were at the time, for all the socialist reasons he gave...well, he is making it come true.
Now these jobs would have been real stimulation and a boon to the economy...
We are so screwed.
BT.. read the article...so
February 26, 2009 - 23:12 ET by celatorBT.. read the article...so crazy and ill-intentioned. If only the ingenuity and can-do of American citizens were allowed to invent, prosper and succeed. It would solve our energy challenges and most other challenges, as well. But no. The government geeks know better.
There is nothing government leftists fear more than the free will and creative activity that we've always had. They don't have it. They don't want anyone else to have it.
It's so obvious that we have had a coup with Obama's election. It's a coup aimed at destroying the vitality and success of the United States. Every single policy pushed at us by the leftists in Congress and the White House has been tried, and has failed. They must know this.
Someday we will learn who owns Obama, and who is so committed to destroying this nation. Whoever they are, they spent a billion $ to make sure he was elected. He is such a strange person. Sometimes I think he is under mind control (MKULTRA sort of thing). He shows little genuine affect, has absolutely no conscience (FOCA et al), and seems completely untethered to the American experience. He seems to be a trance much of the time.
Yes, unless we fight the leftists tooth and nail, this grand and, to date, successful experiment in human freedom is doomed.
I see more anger now toward Obama and his policies than I ever thought I would. It's growing. It's beginning to get focused. We will not let them steal our nation. Period.
Mickey Mouse is one
of "Satan's soldiers" and must die, says Saudi Arabian cleric Sheikh
Muhammad Munajid. - Daily Telegraph (UK), 9/15/08
Methinks he's been hanging around Sheryl Crowe too much!
February 26, 2009 - 19:10 ET by Cape ConservativeIt is no dishonor to be in a minority in the cause of liberty and virtue. ~ Sam Adams
hee hee!
February 26, 2009 - 19:54 ET by katainkentLifetime Supply!
All re: logging - Glenn Beck had a great comment the
February 26, 2009 - 19:18 ET by Cape Conservativeother night about walking in the fields with his grandfather while growing up in the northwest. Grandfather was kicking at the underbrush and saying how foolish those people were to say they couldn't burn any more - that it would only lead to disaster in the future. Wise words from a man of the earth!
I'm sure there are MANY other wise men in the logging industry who are angry about the many stipulations being inflicted upon their livelihood by people with absolutely NO knowledge from whence they speak!
You know, sort of like having CONGRESS in charge of banks...or auto industries...or hospitals! Talk about future DISASTER!!!!
It is no dishonor to be in a minority in the cause of liberty and virtue. ~ Sam Adams
Exactly CC...exactly!
February 26, 2009 - 19:22 ET by bigtimerExactly CC...exactly!
Maybe they could just print the NYT on toilet paper
February 26, 2009 - 19:22 ET by R D HelmI mean, just think of the poor, innocent trees that would be saved!
BTW, I have been to Europe, and that so-called toilet paper over there is very close to sand paper, particularly that German stuff.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Not a square to spare...
February 26, 2009 - 19:46 ET by MotherOh well!
I prefer to wipe my butt on a spotted owl anyhow. sarc/
~Mother
February 26, 2009 - 20:06 ET by choselife3xJust remember to wipe with the grain and avoid the side with the beak. Personally, I prefer soft, fluffy bunnies, but they do shriek dreadfully.
Expecting the government to 'fix' the economy is like trying to live off the leech stuck to your tush.
We only wipe with
February 26, 2009 - 20:07 ET by sherylsimsWe only wipe with endangered animals where we come from. It is so much more satisfying.
~Endangered Animals
February 26, 2009 - 20:57 ET by choselife3xI hope you rinse and reuse! :-O
Expecting the government to 'fix' the economy is like trying to live off the leech stuck to your tush.
Good evening chose
February 26, 2009 - 20:13 ET by cocodrieDon't use the killer bunny from Monty Python.
By leech, do you mean dingleberries?
Jesus Loves You
~Oy Vey, coco!
February 26, 2009 - 20:55 ET by choselife3xLet us gird our loins.
Expecting the government to 'fix' the economy is like trying to live off the leech stuck to your tush.
It's ironic
February 26, 2009 - 20:35 ET by zoro7957..............is it not, that this publication is only fit for the bottom of a bird cage?
Aren't trees renewable?
February 26, 2009 - 21:02 ET by wyogatorAll the talk now is "sustainability" and "renewable resources".
Well, aren't trees a renewable resource?
From nationalatlas.gov:
"Today about one-third of the nation is forested...total forest area has been relatively stable for the last 100 years (currently about 747 million acres)."
For the most part, we replant what we cut down. I'm guessing it takes less energy to log and cut 2 x 4's than it does to mine and create aluminum studs for houses...and so on and so on.
Paper or plastic?
Learn about my daughter's Ugandan home for orphans with AIDS at
www.africaourownhome.org
Wyogater..."aren't trees a
February 26, 2009 - 23:22 ET by celatorWyogater..."aren't trees a renewable resource?"
For sure.
In my part of the country, if you were to clearcut a square acre of trees, by the next year, that square acre would have 10,000 stems (little bitty trees) growing on that acre. All thanks to Mother Nature.
We rarely clearcut large areas. Instead we rely on sustainable forestry practices. But you get the point.
I think (but I'm not sure) the same is true in the southern and western states.
There is actually more standing forested acreage in this country now than there were in the days of the American Revolution. Partly because much less farmland is needed to supply food demand (even with more population) and more efficient growing techniques.
Mickey Mouse is one
of "Satan's soldiers" and must die, says Saudi Arabian cleric Sheikh
Muhammad Munajid. - Daily Telegraph (UK), 9/15/08
Save the Forests - Waste Paper
February 26, 2009 - 21:08 ET by PopularTechIf you want industry to plant more trees waster more paper, it is just that simple. The hysteria over trees is idiotic as they are a clear renewable resource and our forests are increasing. People need something else to worry about.
Myth: We Are Destroying Our Forests (ABC News)
- U.S. Forest land area increased from 747 million acres in 1997 to 749 in 2002 (U.S. Forest Service)
- Since the 1950s, timber growth has consistently exceeded harvest (U.S. Forest Service)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is Not Pollution
Ah yes...
February 26, 2009 - 21:11 ET by jdlybrandA rough piece of paper is sufficient in Europe. That's the John Wayne Brand. It's rough and tough and don't take s**t off nobody.
Stupidity should be a crime punishable by constant exposure to common sense.
Environmentally sound Charmin
February 26, 2009 - 22:28 ET by CobraManWhat the Times isn't telling you is that modern "soft" toilet paper made from virgin sources is far more environmentally sound as it breaks down readily in waste water treatment systems. The recycled sources do not. Anyone who has a septic system can attest to the longevity of recycle sourced toilet paper.
Try this for an experiment, get some cheap gas station toilet paper made with recycled paper and some Charmin Ultra. Put those samples in two glasses of water and wait. Almost immediately, you'll see the Charmin breaking down without agitation and/or adding bio agents. The cheap stuff will congeal at the bottom of the glass and stay there for months even if you add bio agents.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities
of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Sounds like the WaPo
February 26, 2009 - 22:27 ET by owr084Reminds me of all the whining the washigtonpost didabout the Wilson Bridge on I-495. They compained about the cost, the traffic, the noise, etc. In other words, everything. A drawbridge on a busy interstate can cause massive traffic tie ups. They are also quite expensive to build and maintain.
Considering the number of times the old drawbridge was opened, there was a case to be made for not even building one. That would have savd a lot of taxpayer dollars and shortened the construction time.
But, guess who was the biggest user of the drawbridge? That's right - WaPo. They had all the paper for their presses hauled upriver. They wanted the drwbridge because without it, the ships carrying their paper could not get up river. They claimed it was too expensive to truck the paper in. But, what they did was to force the taxpayers to subsidize their shipping costs by building the drawbridge...
No Paper
February 26, 2009 - 22:44 ET by slickwillie2001Fear not, someday we'll all be using our left hand and nothing else.
It is called "Modern Marvels" also "How Stuff Works"
February 27, 2009 - 00:20 ET by JWFOnce again I am made to feel like a fool because I take precious minutes out of my day to watch a show that actually educates me.
Every single molecule of that tree that is cut down is used. Nothing goes to waste. And those companies that cut down trees? They are in it for the money, they plant new trees so they will still be in business years from now.
If you truly want to complain about Americans use of toilet paper, why not look to cultures in the far east. Quite a few cultures don't use toilet paper at all. They WASH their behinds.
We can't hear about that now can we? Because now we have the issue of using MORE water and MORE soap. And water and soap does not grow on trees does it?
People need to follow my example. I wipe my rear with the nearest liberal. But that is fret with its own dangers. I constantly get rashes because liberals are not very clean at all.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
Times Toilet Paper
February 27, 2009 - 01:33 ET by opedI have tried to wipe with the NY Times but the paper lacks any substance, and is so transparent. I do however enjoy placing skid marks over the likes of Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd
Laura W at AoS covered this perfectly
February 27, 2009 - 02:32 ET by JWFhttp://ace.mu.nu/archives/283464.php#283464
No, most of the wood used for paper in this country comes from farmed trees; quick-growing trees that are planted and raised specifically to become paper someday.
'Saving' these trees would be as wasteful and stupid as 'saving' a field of wheat.
Toilet paper serves a
February 27, 2009 - 04:16 ET by SlicksterToilet paper serves a purpose, the NYT does not.
Straight8-And they both are
February 27, 2009 - 07:30 ET by Straight8Straight8-And they both are usually full of 5hit.
Where Does Paper Come From?
February 27, 2009 - 11:09 ET by slickwillie2001A great thought from the blog at ace.mu.nu:
"We're not converting ancient wild forests into butt wipe. Ancient wild forests are for furniture. No, most of the wood used for paper in this country comes from farmed trees; quick-growing trees that are planted and raised specifically to become paper someday. 'Saving' these trees would be as wasteful and stupid as 'saving' a field of wheat."