The requests for my original calculations regarding the ability to save
17 trees by recycling a ton of paper have already started trickling in.
I have no idea where they are at this point. (I've subsequently lived in
five cities in four countries.) I do remember basing the reference on
fast-growing southern softwoods. Also, the aluminum recycling and energy
saving reference, regarding a half can of gasoline saved, was calculated
by Bill Chandler, my predecessor on recycling issues.
For more recent and detailed information on the tree savings associated
with paper recycling, see this comment:
"By the way, while your estimate may have been widely criticized over
the
years, it appears to be the fairest single figure you could have come up
with. The 17 trees saved per ton of paper recycled falls right within
the
range (15.8 to 18.5) estimated by Dean Einspahr of Fiber Resources,
Inc., in
the article "Saving Forest Resources Through Recycling" published in the
May
1992 issue of Progress in Paper Recycling. If you've never seen that
article, I'd be glad to send you a copy."
Brian Foran
California Integrated Waste Management Board
-- Cindy Pollock Shea Contributing Editor Florida Sustainable Communities Center http://sustainable.state.fl.us