Prayer

We see signs of summer's passing in golden leaves, shortening days, misty mornings, autumn glow.
We sense its passing in rain that dampens, winds that chill, harvest's bounty placed on show.
Creator God, who brings forth both green shoot and hoar frost, sunrise and sunset, we bring our thanks for seeds that have grown, harvests gathered, storehouses filled, mouths fed.
And, as your good earth rests through winter's cold embrace, we look forward to its re-awakening when kissed by Spring's first touch.

- Author Unknown
Source: www.xavier.edu

Knowledge

Earlier this week, someone asked me whether we still needed to worry about recycling paper. In short, YES! Paper comes from trees. And yes, they cut down fully mature trees to make it.
The great thing is, recycling paper is easy and a high percentage of paper is recycled. Earth911.com states, “In 2011, 66.8% of paper consumed in the United States was recycled. Every ton of paper recycled saves more than 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, and if you measure by weight, more paper is recovered for recycling than plastic, aluminum and glass combined.”

Two things to note:
First, it is important to know how your local curbside recycler wants your paper. Many are mixed stream. This means you can put all paper – junk mail, newspaper, cardboard, printer paper, etc, into the same bin with all your other recycling. Some areas have separate stream recycling. You not only need to separate your glass, plastic and paper, but you also have to keep different types of paper separate from each other. Check with your local waste disposal company.

Secondly, we need to close the loop. If you throw paper in the recycle bin, please buy recycled paper for your printer as well as envelopes and notepads. You can also find toilet paper and paper towels that are made, at least in part, of recycled paper.

You can get many more details at Earth 911. They give you the 411 on different types of paper and what to about staples, paperclips and shredded paper.

Action

Purchase recycled paper for your office and home use. It may be a bit more expensive, but it closes the loop.
Educate yourself and others on what is appropriate for your particular curbside recycling program. Sadly, recycling can be contaminated. When that happens, entire bails of material are simply sent to the landfill.
If you use disposable paper towels and toilet paper, look for brands that use recycled paper. The higher the recycled material content the better.