What should the alternative to paper be?

Question

we rely too much on paper...

paper towels, tissues, paper money etc..

with the trees gone who'll create oxygen? where will nature reside?

they also take FOREVER to grow once they are cut down.... not to mention the life that goes with it

Answer 1

Paper has so many different uses that no one thing will replace it. You are looking at one example. But you will not want to wipe your but with your computer screen, and your screen will not be a good insulator, nor will you want to use it as a temporary cup or plate.

Put a mountain of literature on a dvd and share it over the internet. We do not need a ton of books occupying space in our house.

There is practically nothing that we use only paper for any longer. But our methods will require rethinking. Instead of recycling the newspapers we will click on several news services, browse our store fliers electronically, and read most of the books in the library without a bit of paper being used.

This is not a new idea, now is it.

What wil be new is that we will use a daemon on our computer to retrieve what we want each day, rather than having a paper girl hurl a massive roll of paper on our porch and break a window.

Answer 2

Paper is made from trees that are grown as a crop.  When the crop is harvested, a new crop is planted.  Net result, no change in the number of trees.  The average life of a pulp wood tree is about 6 years, not exactly forever.

Answer 3

I agree we rely too much on paper... consumers abuse the resource...

However,

Trees don't produce the majority of the worlds oxygen, ocean algae does.

Nature is everywhere, even in clearcut. Post harvested/ clearcut areas often provide a larger diversity of plants and animals, as well as an increase overall abundance of animals. Moose, deer, grouse, many many birds, and rodents all benefit from forest disturbance. The real enemy, is site conversion... parking lots, houses, shopping malls... and Soy bean plantations!!

They don't take forever to grow once they are cut down. I manage a large tract of forest land for paper and wood products and much of the forests we harvest in have been harvested 3-4 times in the last 100 years. And as any hunter will tell you, provides the best wildlife habitat in the state. I'll add, we are also certified by the rain forest alliance, its like an organic sticker, but for wood. It shows we practice sustainability and comply with environmental laws and regulations. These certification's are increasing in popularity with consumers becoming more aware of  forest issues. This is not to say wood and paper that isn't certified isn't well managed, certifications are quite expensive, and many companies simply can't aford it.