I grew up with constant warnings to use less paper, as if every sheet risked the immediate death of the forests. Cutting down trees was framed as an act of ecological violence, something on par with the murder of an entire ecosystem. Deforestation was a slur.
After all, I was a part of the generation raised on The Giving Tree.
I was raised in the Southeast. Recycling was optional, and composting was for hippies. I never remember reusable bottles being a thing, just plastic. It was a weird time of caring about this overarching idea of deforestation while not actively doing anything to make our daily lives and actions more sustainable.
