Rags. In our home we must have 20 or more "rags". They weren't always rags. At one time they were brand new towels that matched our kitchen. Now they're faded, fringed and holey.

Why so many rags? We've almost stopped using napkins and paper towels in our home. Giving them up was probably the easiest environmentally-friendly change we've made. (Giving up meat was probably the hardest.)

We've had the same roll of paper towels for at least 6 months. I was going to write the date on the inside of the roll when we first opened it just to see how long it took us to use it. Why don't you write the date on your next paper towel roll and see how long it takes your family. Then, look around for some rags.

At dinner, our kids ask "Who has the napkin?" The napkin. Our dinner guests our shocked that we eat dinner with one or two ratty rags. After dinner, if it's dirty, we throw it in the laundry. If not, we hang it up. (I'm amazed at how many families don't do this. It's all over the web. Just search Google for "napkins rags environment trees paper" and 674 results appear.)

When we buy napkins and paper towels, we always buy recycled. Our grocery stores only carry Seventh Generation (a great company).

According to the Seventh Generation web site: If every household in the U.S. replaced JUST ONE 250 count package of virgin fiber napkins with 100% recycled ones, we could save:

- 1 million trees

- 2.7 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to over 4,000 full garbage trucks

- 380 million gallons of water, a year’s supply for 2,900 families of four

- and avoid 64,000 pounds of pollution!