Check the content of your loo rolls.

"Future generations are going to look at the way we make toilet paper as one of the greatest excesses of our age." Allen Hershkowitz

In the Fall 2009 issue of Yoga + Joyful Living there is an article about Allen Hershjowitz, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The nonprofit  NRDC works with organisations and businesses in the US to reduce their environmental toll. The article is well worth reading article online. In case you don't have the time or inclination to read the whole article here are the pertinent points about toilet paper and how we can help deforestation by being discerning when we buy our loo rolls.

Old-growth forests, tropical and sub-tropical forests, boreal forests, and many others are being decimated by the manufacturers of toilet manufacturers. "Deforestation causes more global warming pollution than all the combined emissions of cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, and ships in the entire world" Allen Hershkowitz

Do your bit to prevent deforestatino by buying toilet rolls that do not contain virgin fibre Instead aim for products with a recycled content. If you cannot buy paper with a recycled content then make sure that any virgin fibres used are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Here's are startling statistic:

"If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with a 100% recycled roll, we could save 423,900 trees." Just imagine that extrapolated worldwide. So please do your bit and check the content of your loo rolls before you buy.