Is This Product Necessary?

Photo: Courtesy Kleenex.com

Today, when I opened my email I saw this message from Kleenex® saying they are introducing this new product: Kleenex® Hand Towels. They think it is more hygienic versus a cloth hand towel used in bathroom. Click here to see what they say are some of its advantages.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this new product was how unnecessary it was. We already have toilet paper being used in abundance and which results in cutting down of innumerable trees. In the case of toilet paper, at least it is understandable. But for wiping hands, I mean come on. I think using a cloth towel is perfectly alright, as long as you wash your hands properly using an antibacterial soap. Then all the germs are already dead and all you are doing is wiping the wet hands. I don't see any harm in using a cloth hand towel. On the other hand if you did not wash your hands with antibacterial soap, wiping it off with a paper towel is not going to do any good. As per cleaning surfaces in the bathroom goes, I could use the toilet paper instead, which I already have in the bathroom. At least that's where I stand. That brings me to this point.

Is this product necessary?

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Happy Earth Day!!!

I want to wish all the earthlings a very happy Earth day. As a living being on the planet Earth, it is our responsibility to take good care of our planet. So this earth day I researched the web to find some useful sites on going Green!!!

1. National Graphics's Green Guide
2. Planet Green , A Discovery Company
3. The Daily Green
4. HGTV Green Home Giveaway

In the meantime we all can make some simple changes to help planet Earth:

1. Use cloth kitchen towels instead of paper towel, wherever possible.
2. Use a permanent coffee filter instead of paper filters.
3. Use filtered water instead of bottled water.
4. Bring your own reusable bag for grocery shopping.
5. Use bamboo products for cutting boards etc.
6. Use pressure cooker for cooking (saves lot of energy)
7. Try carpooling.
8. Use bicycles or walk whenever possible.
9. Minimize the use of water and electricity wherever possible.
10. Replace all the bulbs with energy efficient "CFL bulbs".
11. Use solar powered lamps for landscaping.
12. Use clothesline for drying clothes in summer.

Or maybe some big ones .....

1. Use energy star appliances.
2. Try to harvest rain water if you can.
3. Buy a hybrid car.
4. Try to use solar panels for power generation (if you can afford it).

The list goes on and on . So on this earth day and in the future, Think Green, Act Green and Go Green!

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! That's the mantra.

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REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

There is a lot of talk these days about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, the 3 R's campaign. Finally I see the government got involved in the 3 R's campaign in a major way. These days we are quite frequently bombarded with the water bottle advertisements, where they talk about the bottles ending up in landfill. So true.

I'm all for using the tap water with some kind of filtration. In fact who isn't. I guess we all agree that we need to keep the planet in a better condition for our children, grandchildren and the generations there after and so on.

So to do our part, first we had a water filter installed in our kitchen a few years ago. Next I went and bought reusable water bottles. I got mine at container store. I liked that they came in a set of 5 and are perfect for my daughter's school, one for each school day. The designs are cool too. These days these water bottles are everywhere, which is nice to see.

While EPA is doing all it can to stop the water bottles from ending up in the landfill, there is a new problem cropping up. I think it is the same water bottles with some simple additives and new labeling.

For example Propel Fitness Water. This is what it is ... according to Wikipedia. So it is water with some added vitamins. I also noticed that they have "Propel Fitness Water mix powder packets" in different flavors. I think I like this instead. So you can use your reusable water bottle and your filtered tap water with their added mix. Another example of this is Glaceau Vitamin Water. As the name suggests, it is water with some vitamins and some flavor enhancers. I did not see any flavored mix with this brand. Too bad.

So what is the verdict? Don't you feel all the money the government is spending to educate people about the 3 R's is a utter waste if people are fooled into buying products like Propel and Glaceau water. Don't those bottles end up in a landfill as well? I think so!!!

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