Submitted: The Two Sides Team November 17, 2014

If you stop and look at all the ways you use paper, rely on paper and appreciate paper…you might be surprised how important it is to you.

This article by Chuck Fuqua,  Executive Director, Strategic Communications, AF&PA originally appeared on the AF&PA website on November 4, 2014.  Article is reposted with permission.

What role has paper played in your life today?  Has paper made your life better?  Not sure?  If you stop and look at all the ways you use  paper, rely on paper and appreciate paper…you might be surprised how important it is to you.      

Paper comes in many forms and meets even more needs throughout our waking hours.  For me, paper makes more impact in my daily life than I would have realized.  I am a husband and the father of two young boys.  There is never enough time in the day to take care of all that is needed, and it would be easy to take for granted such things as paper.  But without it, life would be much different. 

Don’t bother going to get your morning coffee – you can’t without paper.  Did your daughter want to draw a picture for you?  Sorry, she can’t without paper.  No need for picture frames because pictures can’t exist without paper.  Are you planning to ship anything purchased online or bringing home goods from a store? Hmmm, that’s just not going to be possible without paper-based packaging and bags.   Food will be tough to store and package without paper as well.  And, that trip to the restroom… just got challenging without paper.  

Thankfully, we live in a world with paper.  Paper products have many uses and provide information, package goods and allow for good hygiene.  For me, paper also has a unique and tangible ability to capture life’s memorable moments.  As I sit at my desk, I look at the wall adorned with many examples of artwork and Father’s Day gifts made from the hands of my sons.  Among the most priceless of my possessions are hand-written letters and items signed by my grandparents no longer with us. 

Major milestones of my life are marked with paper.  We preserve the announcements from our engagement, our wedding and moving into our home.  I hold close the media guides of teams and organizations I’ve been a part of – some of which I wrote.  The growth of my children is captured in paper:  from the day my children were born – when doctors stamped their footprints as newborns; to the papers collected where they have learned to write their name, the alphabet, numbers and begun to write sentences; to the photos proudly displayed on our walls and shelves at home.

You see, there is utility in paper; convenience in paper; and personal connection felt through paper that marks the rites of passage and emotional connection with the people and places in our lives.  Paper provides us with countless benefits, such as these example and many more.  Take a moment to notice just some of the ways your life is better #withpaper.

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