Mrs Mo's New Jersey: NJ earth day tips

Did you know that one person uses up to 50lbs of tissue paper (toilet paper, paper towels) in 1 year? And a family a 4 uses 250lbs!

Did you also know that 1 person can save 1 tree and a family of 4 can save 2 trees each year simply by switching to using recycled paper products.

These and other "Green" tips can be found at the Marcal Small Steps website. Marcal is a New Jersey paper company that has been recycling paper into their products since the 1950s. They are proud to be able to say that 100% of their toiler paper, paper towels, dinner napkins, and more are made from recycled paper.

Last week I joined a group of bloggers from NJ and NYC for a tour of the Elmwood Park factory led by Brand Ambassador Lindsay Jacobs (who also moderates the Twitter and Facebook accounts) and Sr. Vice President of Marketing MJ Jolda. Jolda spoke of Marcal's 3P promise that they offer consumers: strong PERFORMANCE, an affordable value PRICE, and a simple solution for individuals to help save the PLANET.

As a way to better educate consumers on what goes into each Marcal Small Steps product, each paper package includes Environmental Facts similarly to a nutrition label. The company also introduced a Green Consumer Bill of Rights to remind consumers that they can demand superior performance, honest advertising and a product that won't break the budget. The Green Consumer Bill of Rights applies to any products that labels itself as "green":

I have the right:

To not pay more for a green product.

To demand that a green product perform as promised.

To know how a green product helps the environment.

To understand how a green product is manufactured.

To expect companies to speak plainly and honestly about green issues.

In addition to a "green" education straight from the Marcal Small Steps products, there are lesson plans, green tips and a tree calculator on the new website that launched last week.

You can also learn about the recycling process with a colorful slide show on the site. But if you want to see pictures of the recycling process, check out my Whrrl story below:

More check-ins at Marcal Paper Mills

Be sure to visit Marcal Small Steps website, Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account for tips, facts, events and more! If you're in the area, today they are having a paper shredding party from 10am-1pm.

Maybe 10 years ago, Earth Day was just another day on the calendar and there wasn't much done about it. Now it's hard to find a school, business, tv network, website or individual who isn't doing something to help the Earth by "Going Green." But what can we do to help? What are some simple tips for Going Green? Here is what some of my friends over at Facebook and Twitter suggest:

You can use those reusable bags instead of plastic/paper ones. They are only 99 cents and can be used for many things. Besides the supermarket, I take mine to the mall, yard sales, traveling, etc. I've found the ones from Walmart are the best, they are a type of recycled fabric and VERY strong.-Cynthia

Use linen towels in the kitchen instead of paper towels... and then of course there are the "standard ways": change lightbulbs, turn off the water when you're not using it, put a 2-liter bottle in your toilet tank...-Monica

clothes line!-Sharon (my mommy)

Use a re-usable coffee cup, take your lunch to work, dry your clothes outside, shower every other day (you really WON'T die), drive the speed limit (LOL), mow your own grass and water only as needed. Put your AC/heater on a timer, join a local food co-op and join other families in enjoying locally harvested produce.-Martha

@jellybeanboom: start simple: when you leave a room, TURN OFF the lights! and STOP with the plastic water bottles already! buy everyone in the fam a sigg and invest in a good water filter.

@yazziestarr: Printing on both sides of the paper or on scrap paper and unplugging unused electronics or washing on cold :)

Also, you can always make sure you're recycling correctly. If you don't know, check out my post here! You can also check out the Organic and Green products over at Green Design in Princeton.