Being Green; June 2009; Scientific American Earth 3.0; by Dawn Stover; 2 Page(s)

The Tissue Issue
"Ultra" brands of toilet paper such as Charmin, Cottonelle and Quilted Northern may feel soft on your bum, but they're hard on the environment because they're made from virgin fiber and bleached with chlorine. Virgin fiber typically comes from trees grown for pulp production or from sawmill leftovers after trees are cut into lumber. The alternative: brands made from 100 percent recycled fiber, preferably with at least 80 percent postconsumer content. You can download a wallet-size buyer's guide from Greenpeace (www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/forests/tissueguide) or the Natural Resources Defense Council (www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp).

Really Local Food
Planting a vegetable garden is an inexpensive way to obtain fresh, pesticide-free food that hasn't traveled hundreds of miles to reach your plate. For novice gardeners, seed company W. Atlee Burpee & Co. has created a "Money Garden" seed pack that costs $10 and can produce $650 worth of easy-to-grow carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, beans, peas and peppers. It's only available online at www.burpee.com/product/id/112011.do. If your space is limited, consider the Kitchen Garden Planner from Gardener's Supply Co. (www.gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html) to learn how to get 50 pounds of produce from a three-by-six-foot garden.