Have you ever stood still, alone in a forest? When you quiet yourself and sink into your surroundings, you hear the sounds of vibrant wildlife all around you. The buzzing of insects, the tapping of woodpeckers, the trilling notes of the songbirds — and then the crashing chaos of a pair of squirrels chasing one another through the leaves.
At night time, the sounds are different but just as lively. A pair of owls calling to one another, croaking frogs, humming cicadas, and the rustling of a foraging opossum. Perhaps you even hear the yapping or howling of coyotes.
Forests are a sanctuary for wildlife. And a single forest may be home to several thousand species of animals, all dependent upon one another to survive.
In fact, over 75% of Earth’s land-dwelling life lives in forest habitats.
But our planet’s forests are in danger…
The demand for cheap wood and paper products drives an ever-growing market of unsustainable and sometimes illegal logging operations.
When forests are destroyed or compromised by logging, we refer to it as “deforestation.” The World Wildlife Fund reports that deforestation due to the demand for paper products is the number one threat to Earth’s forests.
Here at Cloud Paper, our mission is to protect our forests and natural biodiversity by moving away from tree-based paper products with more sustainable bamboo alternatives.
In celebration of Earth Day 2023, we’re taking the time to explore these precious forest ecosystems and what we can do to stop deforestation. (Plus, we have a few special Earth Day 2023 offerings, so YOU can help #savethetrees as well!)
Forests are an essential habitat to three-quarters of land-dwelling species, including most mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, plus a massive slew of insects and arachnids.
If we want to learn how to preserve biodiversity, we must first understand how this intricate system functions as a home to so many species of wildlife.
A forest ecosystem is a very delicate balance of living organisms that developed over the course of thousands and thousands of years. There’s bacteria living in the dirt, which decomposes all the leaves and sticks that fall from the plant life above. Plant life includes not only trees but grasses, bushes, vines, mosses, and fungi. All those organisms come together to support the teeming wildlife of insects, rodents, birds, lizards, and mammals.
Think of a forest as being similar to your car engine. If it runs out of gas, your car won't run. If the engine has no oil, it will break beyond repair. If the timing belt tears, it all falls apart. If even one tiny little spark plug isn't working, the whole engine won't start. If any single piece isn't working properly, the whole system fails.
Just like an engine, a forest is a delicately crafted system. But instead of taking three hours in a factory to create, it takes hundreds to thousands of years to grow and adapt all the organisms and wildlife that make up a forest.
Forests take thousands of years to grow and develop naturally. But unfortunately these beautiful ecosystems are being wiped out in a matter of days.
Some tree-based paper companies attempt to defend themselves by replanting trees after deforestation…
Replanting trees is helpful — especially for greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide. But to go back to our car analogy, it’s like if we removed the entire engine from your car and then handed you a new battery. A car doesn't run on a battery alone – it needs ALL the engine components to work together in order to function.
But those components take years and years to regrow… if they ever come back at all.
The rate at which we're losing our precious wildlife species due to deforestation is particularly alarming. The World Wildlife Fund’s “Living Planet Report” (2022) showed that wildlife populations of more than 4,000 species were only 32% of what they were in just 1970.
In the US alone, there are over 1,300 species listed as “threatened” or “endangered” by extinction.
Since the human population continues to grow at exponential rates, it’s important that we make changes to our consumption habits now in order to stem the demand for tree-based paper and put an end to deforestation.
So how can we stop deforestation and preserve biodiversity? Here’s how you can help…
Cloud Paper’s mission is to protect our forests and natural biodiversity and make it easier for consumers to do the same. Conservation efforts, paired with moving away from tree-based products, can help slow the rate of deforestation and protect wildlife across the globe.
In celebration of Earth Day 2023, we are offering several easy ways you can make a difference:
Reduce the demand for tree-based paper products by switching to bamboo today!
Bamboo is a rapidly-growing grass — in fact it reaches harvest level at just 2-3 years compared to trees which take 20-50 years to mature. Similar to your lawn, the grass grows back naturally without replanting and can be harvested again and again. (Check out more about the sustainability of bamboo in our blog here.)
At Cloud Paper, we make switching to bamboo easy by offering the same soft, absorbent paper products you’re used to, minus the trees. (Psst: If you’ve never tried bamboo products before, test out our cleaning supplies with the Spring Cleaning Bundle — a limited-time deal that lets you save while sampling the full array of our cleaning products.)
Shop with Cloud Paper on Earth Day 2023, and we’ll match your purchase with a donation in kind to wildlife sanctuaries Wolf Haven International and American Eagle Foundation, both of which are dedicated to protecting wildlife affected by deforestation*.
🌲 Did you know we plant a tree for every review? Just drop your comments about your favorite products and let us know what you think!
To maximize our impact, we don’t just go out and plant these trees in our backyard. We partner with One Tree Planted — a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to sustainable tree planting initiatives. These experts are planting the best trees where they are most needed so your tree makes a difference.
Send your friends and family $10 off their first Cloud Paper order using our Refer A Friend program.
For each friend who you successfully refer to Cloud Paper, we plant ten trees on your behalf. And if they order on Earth Day 2023, we'll make a donation to a sanctuary on their behalf, too!
This is a huge way that you can make a significant difference in stopping deforestation. Think of it like a branching family tree. If you refer just two friends, and they refer just two friends, the word spreads rapidly and efficiently.
It may sound like a small thing to do, but spreading the word is one of the most impactful ways you can help us end deforestation and save wildlife and biodiversity!
If we are truly to put an end to deforestation, it will take a coordinated effort. But by doing your part and spreading the word, we can create a movement and #savethetrees.
Join our initiative to preserve wildlife this Earth Day 2023 and switch to bamboo today!
*Cloud Paper will match all sales on April 22nd 2023 with in-kind product donations up to $10,000
