A lot of people are set on going green. And with a new year upon us, many people have made resolutions to reduce their carbon footprint in an effort to leave the planet a greener, healthier place than the way they found it. Going green begins with a lot of small steps. There are dozens of ways you can accomplish this task, and all of them start at home. Now, thanks to entrepreneur Mark Samuels and the company he started known as Nimbus Eco, you can begin by reducing yourimpact on deforestation by using tree-free toilet paper. Yup, with each swipe you can helpsave a tree by using a toilet paper he’s created made from sustainably-farmed bamboo and sugar cane products.

Nimbus Eco

Back in 2006, Samuels got the idea for wood-free toilet tissue while in Sumatra where he was filming a documentary concerning the impact deforestation was having on the habitat of orangutans, the tree-dwelling apes indigenous to the area. It was during his travels to the mountains that he noticed there were no trees. Sadly, deforestation is a huge problem there now due to the harvesting of trees for palm oil and for use in various disposable paper products. This got him to thinking about the environmental consequences of the practice and led him to wonder what he could do about it. It was shortly after that that Nimbus Eco was born.

Eco-Friendly Alternatives

The process for creating the tree-free toilet paper is similar to the process for creating wood pulp paper, but in this case ituses grassy fibers from bamboo and sugar cane. These plant fibers are said to be very similar to papyrus, the world’s first paper source for ancient cultures. As of now, the paper is being produced in China from bamboo grown in an area next to the production facility Samuels and his partner have set up. Bamboo are prolific reproducers, to the point of easily becoming invasive. Nimbus Eco is steadily building their client base in both the janitorial and wholesale market while gradually expanding into Southeast Asia. Back in the spring of 2015, it was reported that they were already selling up to 43,000 rolls per year.

Save the Trees

Most people don’t realize how important and necessary trees are to our ultimatesurvival and overall health. Trees produce oxygen for us. You know, the stuff we breathe? On average, justone tree is capable of producing roughly 260 lbs of oxygen a year. Two mature trees provide enough of it for a family of four. Add to that the fact scientists regularly find that the medicinal trees found in the rapidlydwindling rainforests can cure illnesses and prolong life, and it becomes abundantly clear we need them for more than just shade.

Besides trying to save trees, Nimbus Eco also plants them through a donation program they’ve set up. The company has pledged that for every 24 rolls of tree-free toilet paper it sells, it will make a donation to Trees for Charity, a group that plants fruit-bearing trees in third world countries.

Coachella

The tree- or technically wood-free toilet paper produced by Nimbus Eco was even chosen as the toilet paper of choice to be provided at Vestal Village, the private desert resort party that runs three days concurrently with the Coachella Music Festival. But you don’t need to wear patchouli and dance around stoned in the desert to embrace saving trees and helping the environment. If you’re interested in learning more about treeless products or how/where you can purchase tree-free toilet paper, visit theNimbus Eco website here.