I’m inviting you to take the paper towel challenge in May. I’m going to do this with you and report my results as well. I’ve come a long way in lowering my paper towel usage, but there’s always room for improvement. My co-blogger Jennifer won’t be doing this challenge since she doesn’t use any paper towels. I’ll talk more later about how my cat is the source of some of my paper towel usage.

Here’s how the Paper Towel Challenge works:

Week One (May 4-10): Make a note of how many rolls of paper towels you used and what you used them for. A piece of paper on the refrigerator should do the trick. You can mark your progress more easily if you use the same brand/size throughout this month. If you haven’t switched to recycled paper towels, now would be a great time.

Week Two (May 11-17): Stop using paper towels for two of the purposes you listed. Use cloth instead. Try to reduce your paper towel usage by one half before the end of the month. If you used two rolls last week, try to only use one roll a week by the end of the month. If you used one roll last week, try to only use half a roll a week. Keep track of how many rolls you’re using and what you’re using them for.

Week Three (May 18-24): Have you made progress? If not, you may need to look again at how you’re using the paper towels. If you’re using them for napkins, try cloth napkins instead. If you’re using them for cleaning, use rags or sponges instead.

Week Four (May 25-31): Come back here and tell us how you did. And if you didn’t meet your goal, keep trying. If you met your goal, let’s party!

Don’t forget to come back here often to let us know how you’re doing and talk to others who are taking the paper towel challenge.

Image via flickr. That’s not my cat.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family