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Paper Company Tells Kids to Use More Paper, Ignore the Whole Deforestation Thing

by Amar Toor on May 13, 2010 at 03:40 PM

Domtar Exec Promoting Tree DeathWhat's the number one problem plaguing today's youth? Drugs? Please. Sexting? Psh. Justin Bieber? Close, but no. It's paper, you guys. In today's e-mail and SMS-dominated age, kids have simply lost touch with the core American values of good penmanship and environmental recklessness. And that's why the altruists at the Domtar paper company have taken it upon themselves to launch a new awareness campaign called 'Put It On Paper,' geared toward moving our youth away from the perils of digital communication, and back to the prehistoric age good ol' days of quill-penned missives.

The campaign, according to the Globe And Mail, will appropriately spread via print ads, and also, ironically, via decidedly non-print media like Facebook and YouTube. Calling the environmental concern over paper usage "just bull," Domtar CEO John Williams wants to encourage the world's youth to not feel so gosh-darned guilty about using paper -- or, presumably, about paying Domtar. "You should feel comfortable to use it appropriately and you shouldn't be feeling there is some environmental negative when you use it," Williams vehemently argues. "People do not have to feel guilty about using paper to print."

Williams, of course, is absolutely right. Think about it for a second. How much harder would sexting become if kids had to print off their scandalous pictures and actually pass them around in class? And wouldn't it do them some good to learn how to archive and organize their printed e-mails and Facebook transcripts in compact, fire hazard-friendly stacks around their rooms? But by all means, let's not stop there. When was the last time you took your teenage son or daughter out to harpoon whales for lamp oil? When was the last time you and your kid shared a friendly conversation about offshore drilling over a steaming plate of baby seal souffle? Because if you did it more often, your kids just might learn to stop hating you, and start hating the planet, instead. [From: TheGlobeAndMail, via: TheConsumerist]

Tags: awareness, campaign, communication, deforestation, domtar, environment, environmental, kids, paper, stupid, top, youth

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