Life and times of a new farmer/homesteader
On paper (a diatribe, not suitable for children) {
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Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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I told myself I wouldn't get political on my blog again. Then again, what isn't political. The act of planting a tree can be political. The act of posting on a blog can be political.I read a post on Maa's blog that bothered me greatly. It's not what she said, but what others may or must have said to her. I have seen too many of my good friends, too many good resources, leave here (HSB) because of diatribes by others. I don't wish to risk losing another friend. So, here is my diatribe against the paper industry. Not the timber industry as a whole, but the paper industry. If you have arguements against it, focus them on me. I'm not leaving. I can take it. I worked in the timber industry. I worked in the paper industry. My father worked in the paper industry. I grew up in a comfortable household, much because of the paper industry. So, if I'm biting the hand that fed me, so be it. I worked in the paper industry, and in the lumber industry. My issue with the paper industry isn't trees. Trees will regrow. For most of the timber industry in the United States, three (worth repeating, 3) trees are planted for every tree cut. The issue I have with the paper industry is the chemicals used and the waste products that are involved. To make toilet paper, you have to cut down a tree. Then, you have to chop it up into little bits. Then, you have to digest the wood chips with VERY TOXIC CHEMICALS to get it to be pulp. Once you have done that, you have to BLEACH IT with VERY TOXIC CHEMICALS to make it white. All along, you use LOTS AND LOTS OF CLEAN WATER to make it into pulp, and make it into paper. This doesn't include making it smell like flowers, or being really soft. The clean water picks up all these toxic chemicals, and the paper industry has to filter, settle, and store that water before you can legally dump it into the local water shed. Even then, it isn't safe to drink, just legally "safe" to dump. The trees aren't the issue. It's all the nasty chemicals and the use of tons of clean, drinkable water that are necessary for making paper. Trees are renewable. Water, used this way, isn't. Chemicals, often derived from petroleum products, aren't. It's not like cutting firewood, or even lumber. Paper making is a nasty, toxic process. It doesn't have to be, but as done for the current paper industry, it is. To Maa, and Belle: If someone is giving you grief for being a tree hugger, well, ignore them. It's not like you EVER said trees shouldn't be cut down. You implied resources shouldn't be wasted. The focus here shouldn't be on the trees, but on the paper making process. Trees are a renewable resource. The stuff they use for making paper is not a renewable resource. The process is getting better, but it is by no means environmentally friendly. Making paper is a waste of resources. There are so many better ways to use trees than in the paper making process, that any way we can find for limiting our use of paper should be commended and enthusiastically supported. You have done that. For that, I salute you. I strongly support a proper use of renewable resources, as is often found in the timber industry. The timber industry is improving by leaps and bounds over past usage. Recycling is becoming more and more common, and proper forestry is becoming more and more common. Limiting our use of paper is more important than recycling. You have brought to our attention a way to cut down on our use of paper. A way that many, including myself, hadn't considered. For that, I also salute you. To anyone who might disagree: The paper industry is going under in this country. It's not because of unions, or tree huggers, or the spotted owl. It's because of greedy industrialists who want to make a quicker buck with less output. It's because of the short sightedness of profit hungry investors. It is far more profitable to pay substandard wages, in timber rich third world countries with few environmental regulations. The spotted owl? It's a smoke screen. It's getting timber workers to fight with environmentalists instead of using environmentally sustainable practices. These practices, while profitable, aren't as profitable as clearcuttting the rainforests of the world. The worlds LUNGS. If they (the profiteers) can make a better buck by clearcutting the Amazon, they will. Workers and the environment be damned. We have the technology to grow into a paperless society, for the most part. We can't grow into a timberless society. Trees still make a great deal of sense for use of building materials, fuel, and yes, even paper, if done correctly. It just makes people more money to use them in unsustainable ways. The short term profiteering will be our downfall, in the long run. I could make a ton of money, and leave my children to pay my debts. It's possible, but is it ethical? What about making things better for my children, but ignoring their children? I like to consider things seven generations ahead. The waste of paper, of the resources to make paper, is something my great grandchildren will be affected by. Using sustainable practices, there will be plenty of resources for everyone, for generations to come. So far, we, as a whole, aren't using sustainable practices. We are going for short term gains. In the long run, we all lose. I don't consider myself a tree hugger. People, including loggers, are far more comfortable to hug. I do consider myself a responsible environmentalist. It's a matter of long term investment. The way we are headed, as humans as a whole, is simply unsustainable. I have children. I would like to have grandchildren. If I thought the world was ours to waste and throw away, I wouldn't suggest my children have children. I wouldn't have had children in the first place. To continue your genetic line takes a hope in the future. There can be a happy medium. We can proceed, with caution, into the future. But it takes knowledge, and it takes creative solutions. Name calling, while ignoring the real problem, isn't part of that solution. Thank you Maa, and especially you, Belle, for being part of the solution, and being creative. You give me hope for the future. You ARE the future. End of diatribe (for now.) Peace be with you and yours. Raymond { Last Page } { Page 20 of 181 } { Next Page } |
