We use a ton of paper in America (which is an enormous understatement.) I think of all the paper that is wasted on a day-to-day basis and it's rather staggering. Tress are a precious resource; not only are they used to make paper products, but they also supply a large portion of our oxygen. What can we do to preserve them?
Paper Alternatives
Take a look at all the paper products around your house, especially paper towels. Use cloth dish towels to clean up messes. If you go through a roll every other day, which is typical for a family of four, and you switched to cloth towels, you'd be saving lots of trees as well as about $200 a year. I know that's not a lot in the scheme of things, but with today's gas prices that would be between three and four tanks.
Technology as a Paper Substitute
Think about all the lists and notes you make to yourself that you write on paper, including those love notes to yourself on "stickies." Consider creating your lists electronically. If you have a smart phone, which is probably not ever too far out of arm's reach, you can use the note taking app. I make my grocery lists on my note taking app; when I open it at the store, people probably think it's giving me directions for which aisle I should go down, but I don't care. I'm saving paper and I don't have to keep up with the list that always seems to be floating around. Go mobile with your iPhone (or Android) or iPad (or other tablet) and you likely won't look back.
If you do insist upon the old-fashioned way of writing your lists on paper, consider recycling things you print but no longer use. Or perhaps write your list on an envelope that delivered the junk mail to your house. There are lots of ways to save paper.
Yoda's Ancient Paper Wisdom
So maybe it's backwards: money is paper, but paper is money.
Post up your ideas in the comments here. Tell us about the things you do around the house to save paper. After all, you're already saving money, might as well share the wealth.