PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 16, 2022
Do people know that they are literally flushing forests down the toilet? That’s what they are doing with their Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and Puffs facial tissues. Procter & Gamble, which supplies these disposables, is a leading driver in destroying the largest intact forest left on earth, the Canadian boreal forest. Combined, logging, oil, gas and mining operations there are clearcutting the equivalent of one small city block per minute, reports the National Resources Defense Council. This old-stand timber is home to multitudes of bird and animal species. It also is the most carbon-dense forest on the planet, storing twice as much carbon as there is in all the world’s recoverable oil reserves. Intact boreal forests function as the lungs of the planet. Toilet tissue made from recyclables or bamboo is readily available, and bidets are becoming more commonplace in America. Stop flushing forests! ~ Rachel Burger, South Portland