Trees are a valuable resource and an important part of fighting climate change and maintaining the health of our planet. Every year millions of trees are cut down and primarily used to produce paper, yet paper is being consumed and wasted at an alarming rate. In Canada alone there is about 30 million tonnes of virgin wood pulp produced annually, and paper consumption is growing every year. Paper production accounts for most of the trees cut down every year and not nearly enough of them are being replaced. So to ensure that we waste as little paper as possible I have compiled a list of some ideas to help you cut down on your paper consumption.

• Recycle all paper products. This is the most important thing that a single person can do, aside from not wasting paper, to help sustain our forests. Less than %50 of paper that could be recycled and utilized is being used. Every little bit helps so making sure that you are recycling and using every scrap of paper that you possibly can will do a lot to help the forests.

• Reuse paper products where you can. Use old newspapers for anything from puppy training and painting to packing fragile things when you move. You can use newspaper for an interesting gift wrap or for various arts and crafts. Instead of buying notepaper, cut pieces of paper from letters, notices, or bills into quarters and use the back for shopping lists, and scribble pads.

• Cut down on paper you don’t need. Have electronic bills sent instead of paper ones. Whenever possible send emails instead of letters. You can even find cute cards online for birthdays and special occasions that you can email. To cut down on flyers and junk mail have a no junk mail sticker put onto your mailbox or for companies you actually want flyers from ask them if they have an email option.

• Ditch the subscriptions. Subscribe instead to online newspapers and magazines that are sent to your email every day. Newsprint accounts for 1.1 million metric tonnes per year. You can find news that is just as reliable on the internet or the TV.

• Look into e-books or audio books. Publishing accounts for about %4 of total paper consumption in Canada and while that is not a lot, it could still make a big difference. Check out http://www.ebooks.com/ for the latest releases and all of your old favourites. You can now purchase hand held devices for e-books that hold many books at once. To learn more visit http://www.ebooktechnologies.com/products.htm. Audio books are another great option for reducing paper and have the added benefit of allowing you to keep your hands free.

There are a lot of things we can do to reduce the cutting down of trees other than reducing the paper we use and recycling or reusing it afterwards. There are alternative building sources and a lot of new options for furniture materials. Paper is the most common use of trees and therefore is the best way to cut down on the number of trees we use. By reducing paper, we are reducing trees that are killed. The more trees we leave in the ground for tomorrow, the better chance we have at sustaining the resources and beauty of our natural world. Finding ways to minimize our paper consumption and reuse and recycle the paper that we do use is a key part of keeping our forests alive which is especially important since they help keep us alive.