One of the things you learn immediately when investigating the Amazon is that a lot of people are concerned about the accelerating rate of deforestation, and what that will do to the Amazon's diverse plant and animal life, its people, and the global environment. It's hard to learn about the Amazon without wondering what can be done to slow deforestation and protect the precious resources within the rain forest.

 

Are there ways that we in the United States and elsewhere across the world actually contribute to increased deforestation? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding "yes". While there are many complex root causes of deforestation, one basic cause is our collective demand as consumers for products such as paper and wood products that require cutting down trees. Logging companies are cutting down some of the most endangered forests on the planet to make wood and paper products such as office paper, phone books, toilet paper, window trim, lawn furniture, and 2 x 4's. Over seventy-eight percent of the Earth's original old growth forests have already been logged or degraded. Here are a few eye-opening statistics related to our consumption of paper.

 

The average office worker is estimated to use a sheet of paper every 12 minutes and a ream of paper every 2 1/2 working weeks

 

U.S. office paper use went from .85 to 1.4 trillion sheets between 1981 and 1984

 

The world consumes 5 times more paper now than in 1950

 

Global rainforests are disappearing at a rate of 8 football fields per minute

 

While there is no one answer to solve the problem of deforestation, one sure way to reduce deforestation is to consume less paper.

A few things you might want to try include:

A. Reuse the backs of once-used paper to take notes on or to write drafts of school reports

 

B. Print Internet research, e-mails (if you have to), and other computer work that isn't a "final copy" on the back of once-used paper

 

C. Buy recycled paper (and toilet paper, paper towels, notebooks, etc.) with the extra money you earn from using less paper

 

Schools are one of the biggest users of paper around. Think about all of the paper students use to do work on. And all of the office copies and computer printouts and copies of materials for class that teachers and administrators make. When you add it up, it amounts to a lot of trees! So how can your class encourage your school to use less paper and buy recycled paper? Let's start with a little education.

 

Most people would buy recycled paper (even though it costs a little more) if they just understood more about why it's important to do so, and if they knew how much it cost, where to get it, and other details.

 

Step #1 - Do a little research. How much paper does your school use on an average school day? Over the course of a year? You will need to speak with the people at your school who actually purchase the paper. They can tell you how much they buy, what it costs, who they buy it from, what kind of paper they buy, and whether or not the school purchases recycled paper. Now you have something to work with.

 

Step #2 - Do a little more research. Now you'll need to calculate how many trees need to be cut down to supply your school with virgin paper (paper made directly from fresh trees). How many trees could your school save every year if it purchased recycled paper? Be careful, there are all kinds of recycled paper. You'll need to learn about the different types of recycled paper (30%, 60%, 100% post-consumer waste for example) and how many trees are needed to produce them (and how many trees are saved by using recycled paper).

 

Step #3 - Do even more research. You'll need to find out what the different types of paper are, where you can buy them, how much they cost, and what the price differences are between recycled paper options and the paper your school currently uses. How much will buying recycled paper cost your school in dollars over the course of one year? What are the "hidden costs" of buying virgin paper (deforestation, loss of natural resources and habitat for animals, connection to global warming, etc.)

 

Step #4 - Problem solving. Your school administrators might argue that buying recycled paper will cost them too much over the course of a year. How will you respond to this? What strategies could your school use to make up for the higher costs?

 

Step #5 - Making your case. Do you have a strong enough case to convince your principal and school administrators to purchase recycled paper? You will need to present your data in an easy-to-understand format that makes your case and provides school administrators with the information they need to make the decision you want. Perhaps a PowerPoint presentation or a written report or letter or a web site could be created to make your case. Maybe you'd like to also create a skit or a song or a dance that expresses your concern for the issue of deforestation. Perhaps you could start a publicity campaign at your school and ask for permission to have the whole school vote on whether to purchase recycled paper. This is where your creativity will need to emerge.

 

Step #6 - Need help? Contact On-Line Expeditions at 312 733-7330 ext. 321 and we'll answer your questions and support your efforts. Here are some web sites to help get you started with your research. Good luck!

2. Recycled Paper Coalition

Recycled paper fact sheets and publications

3. Conservatree

Recycled paper fact sheets

4. ReThink Paper

5. Save the Rainforest

Facts on deforestation and the impact on indigenous tribes.

6. Rainforest Action Network - On-line video, protect-an-acre program, actions that kids can take to save the rainforest.

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