Archive for July, 2023
When We Take One, Maybe We Should Give One
By John Weckerle
There are things in life that are inevitable, or perhaps inexhorable. Time will pass. All things must pass. And some things, if we are fortunate enough to be healthy, must pass more or less on a daily basis. From time to time, each of us must adjourn to what is, for most of us, one of the smallest rooms in the home, assume a posture similar to that seen in Auguste Rodin’s most well-recognized sculptures and, er… “think.”
Now, we may engage in a variety of mental activities in this pose. Daydreaming is likely a favorite for many. Reading comes to mind, though in the modern age we may turn to devices that also allow us to play games, send text messages, or even talk on the phone. But when the deed is done, so to speak, is the time for thinking over? We here at New Mexico Central say not, because there is one last action to be taken before returning to full verticality – and thence the world at large. This last act involves a critical material, and as it turns out this material may well affect the world more than any idea we likely had while in the pose…
We are talking, of course, about toilet paper.
Each year (the most recent publication is from September 2022), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) issues a report on the sustainability of certain paper products based on their benefits or detriments to the environment. This includes their Issue with Tissue Scorecard, which evaluates a variety of factors (where the material is sourced, whether it uses a bleaching process, etc.). We were extraordinarily disappointed to find that one of our longstanding “weapons of choice,” the Kirkland brand sold by Costco (and some of their other listed household tissue/paper towel products), received a grade of F. Costco often crows about its offering of sustainable products, so it was a bit of a shocker to find that some of their own in-house, home-use paper products may be, at least in the NRDC’s view, one of the worst investments one can make in the health of the planet.
We decided to do a little research to look for alternatives. We’ve begun with the product euphemistically referred to as “bath tissue” (right – try involving that with anything to do with a bath and see where it gets you). Given that cost is a tissue issue for most people, we chose to test the fully recycled 365 by Whole Foods Market brand, which was more or less comparably priced to the Kirkland brand on Amazon. Our initial findings are that the product is comfortable, is not prone to shredding, separates consistently at the perforations, and overall performs very well in its intended function. So, at the end of the – well, you know – we find that there is at least one viable alternative to F-rated products in the toilet paper genre. If our readers find others, we encourage them to comment here and let us all know.
Finding comparably priced facial tissue is a bit more of a challenge, and we’re working on that. Because the denizens of New Mexico Central headquarters don’t use paper towels to the same extent of the other products, we’ll be researching those last. While still fully functional, Senior Environmental Correspondent Wilson doesn’t use any of them and has not thus far contributed to the assessment, but we’ll relay his opinion if he expresses one. We’ll report back as we learn more!