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A really good way to Do Your Part is to put an end to paper towels in your home. It sounds impossible but it really isn’t.

One way to start is a drawer filled with kitchen towels. The key is convenience. It does not matter if you cut up rags, use old washcloths or get those super absorbent small towels. Having one to reach for when you need it most is the main thing and they will usually get more than one use. When you’re done simply toss it in the laundry pile.

If you use an Energy Star washing machine on a cold cycle, you will be saving energy and water. It adds up to a lot less than the resources it takes to make, ship and dispose of paper towels that only get used once.

You will not only being saving resources such as water, you will also be saving a whole lot of money. It is estimated that 3,000 tons of paper towels wind up in our landfills each year because used ones can’t be recycled. If a rolls costs about a dollar apiece and we average about two per week, over the year you will save at least $100.

If you can not commit to living a paper towel-free life, at least pick a better paper towel. Look for ones made with a high percentage of post-consumer content. That is the paper you recycle, not factory scraps. Finding chlorine-free ones is also important. The chemicals used to make chlorine are toxic to people and fish and will wind up right back in our environment. There’s a great guide by the Natural Resources Defense Council that lists many kinds of paper towels and napkins with the most recycled content and those that are chlorine-free. You can find it at NRDC.org

Whether you decide to give up paper towels or commit to buying paper towels made from recycled paper, you will be doing your part to conserve energy and natural resources while keeping more paper out of our landfills.