How much newspaper do you think you waste each year, or evenjust every month? Let's see: one paper a day, seven papers aweek, 30 papers a month. Now multiply that by the hundreds ofmillions of people in the United States. Some people even getmore than one newspaper on a regular basis. That's a lot ofnewspaper. What a waste!

It is absurd that all thispaper goes to waste. Just think of all the things we could useit for besides filling our trash cans - everything frompackaging precious porcelain to covering your carpet whenyou're repainting your living room. Don't forget my favoriteuse: the comics make great wrapping paper that gives a uniquequality to your gift, not to mention the price isright.

When you run out of creative uses for oldnewspapers, there's always recycling. I know, this takes a bitof effort on your part. Getting off the couch to go to yourlocal recycling center is something most of us, including me,don't do often enough. Complet-ing this petty task, though,makes you feel gratified. Furthermore, you've helped make surewe still have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind environment for yearsto come.

Most of us still take all our resources forgranted, but if we continue using them we'll lose more thanjust newspapers. We'll lose the trees which protect us fromthe scorching summer sun, not to mention that the term "treehouse" will become extinct. Even more dire, we'll lose theoxygen needed for life on our humble planet. So, next time Ihope you'll think twice before you toss that chronicle in thegarbage can.