The Sting News Article - Whatever Happend To Paper Towels?

Photo courtesy of Daquella manera

Back in 2007, I wrote an article as a freelance writer for my high school newspaper, The Sting. It's kind of a funny one, and I wanted to post it here, so - here it is. Enjoy.

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The inevitable flush; the stall door opens. You venture toward the sink, eager to wash away any traces of your visit with only a few dots of soap and a jet of lukewarm water. Once finished, dripping, slightly sudsy fingers reach for the button, releasing a gush of hot air with a single push. You humor the machine, hoping to stretch the length of a long desired bathroom trip. But within a very short time, your last shred of patience dissipates and you find your hands traveling downward to wipe the last of the annoying droplets on freshly laundered pants.

This leads me to wonder about the fate of paper towels. Those scratchy paper rags we’re used to grabbing to scour the skin in one quick wipe down. Here and there, students have wondered, but only really questioned the air or a nearby peer. And while some are left to wonder, others simply shrug their shoulders and continue conforming to the way things have always been.

Now, I realize what the introduction of paper towels could mean for the environment. Many often pose the argument that the more paper we use, the more trees we dispose of in the process, which seems like an odd accusation, as I don’t recall annihilating any carbon dioxide-breathing friends just to dry my hands.

But this is all mere fantasy, since paper towels in the school restrooms obviously don’t exist. Instead, decorative hand dryers line the wall, metallic heads often twisted upward to greet the ceiling. They aren’t so bad. They do eliminate the amount of time it takes to reload and remove paper towels, not to mention a nice way to warm up during the colder months. You don’t get that nifty paper towel door handle to ward off any pesky microorganisms running rampant, but at least it’s not necessary to trod upon forsaken wads of those towels just to get to the door.

As you rub the last remnants of water onto those pants, you wonder once more about paper towels. Perhaps it’s a fleeting thought or maybe a lengthy contemplation, but as you grab the door handle and prepare to leave, you realize it’s just one more mystery plaguing the halls.