More and more people are becoming aware that we need to take action to save the planet. We can do many things in our daily lives as citizens to help the environment. This includes conserving Earth's precious resources, in particular, learning how to save trees.

I've already written a blog post about how to save water as water plays an essential role for every living being on the planet.

But we also shouldn't minimize the impact trees have on our lives.

Trees are essential to the health of Earth's inhabitants. They trap greenhouse gases and are important to the life of animals, plants, and humans.

Yet, for the past centuries, humans have been cutting down forests at record speed. This is leading to the loss of habitats and biodiversity as well as soil erosion.

When humans are destroying forests, they're also disrupting the water cycle.

And as fewer trees are absorbing greenhouse gases, deforestation contributes to climate change.

These consequences on the environment are disastrous on our planet.

Luckily, we can all take action to change the trend by simply adopting more sustainable habits in our daily lives.

Paper, cardboard, and wood are often better alternatives for the environment than plastic. But this doesn't mean that these materials derived from wood should be wasted.

I came up with these 23 impactful ways to take action for you to learn how to save trees and protect Earth's forests.

This blog post contains affiliate links which means that if you buy something through such links, I will get a small commission without any extra cost for you.Please read my Disclosure for more details.

23 impactful ways to take action to save trees

1 – Use reusable alternatives to disposable products

If you know anything about zero waste, you've probably heard about using reusable products instead of disposables.

This is true for plastic products, but also for paper, cardboard, and wood items.

Here are a few examples:

  • Make the switch to cloth napkins for eating. Also, cotton handkerchiefs are great to blow your nose, and rags for cleaning your home. Disposable paper towels, tissues, and napkins are so wasteful!
  • Instead of using paper bags, pack your to-go lunch in reusable containers.
  • Invest in a good reusable to-go cup to bring your beverage on the go and never use disposable coffee cups again
  • Stop accepting paper bags when you're out shopping. Bring reusable cotton bags instead.
  • For your next picnic, don't buy disposable paper or bamboo products. Bring your reusable cutlery set, straw, and chopsticks. And don't get paper plates, instead, go to the second-hand store and pick cheap reusable plates there.

Most paper, cardboard, or wooden disposable products are better than plastic for the environment.

But switching to reusable options is the best thing you can do to save trees!

2 – Go paperless for your bills

Ask your water and electricity providers if they can send your bills by email. Tell them you don't want them to send the paper version to your home.

Do the same with your phone provider, your bank, and any other company you are receiving paper mail from.

Online bills will save a lot of paper over the years!

3 – Unsubscribe from unnecessary magazines subscriptions

Are you subscribed to a paper magazine or newspaper? If so, do you read and enjoy it?

If you don't read magazines you are subscribed to, consider unsubscribing.

Or switch to reading them on their website instead. You'll save money and paper!

Unsubscribing from magazine subscriptions is a great way to save trees.

4 – Opt-out from junk mail

I cannot tell you how to do it for this one as it will depend on your country.

Where I live, I only need to put a "no junk mail" sticker on my mailbox to prevent companies from sending me junk mail.

There are also websites where you can ask to be removed from lists to prevent companies from sending you junk mail.

Just ask Google how to do it in your area.

5 – Reduce your personal consumption of paper

One of the most important steps you can take to save trees is to reduce your consumption of paper in your daily life.

Finish old journals before buying new ones. Use scrap paper when you need to write your shopping list.

Take notes virtually on your phone or computer. Do not waste toilet paper.

6 – Print less

Printing less is a good habit to start to save trees and paper!

Next time you consider printing something, think it through. Can you reduce the font of your text to use less paper?

Also, don't forget to proofread before printing. Don't print pages you don't need and print on both sides of the paper if possible.

7 – Choose recycled paper

If you need to buy paper or a new notebook, why don't you buy recycled options?

You won't feel the difference and you are making sure that the paper is not made from virgin pulp.

Even better, find a notebook made from cork, which is a very sustainable option.

8 – Use recycled toilet paper or a bidet

As I just wrote, recycled paper is way better for trees than non-recycled paper. This is also true for toilet paper!

Consider switching to a recycled toilet paper, or even better, why don't you try using a bidet instead?

You won't need to buy toilet paper anymore, and that's an awesome way to be zero waste in the bathroom.

9 – Find more sustainable paper

Don't feel bad for not applying this tip because this one can be harder.

If it is available to you, consider buying paper made from hemp. It's great because fewer trees need to be cut down to produce hemp paper (for a given quantity of paper).

You can also find paper made from bamboo or even from the byproducts of sugarcane production.

These are more sustainable options we might want to choose if we want to save trees.

10 – Recycle properly

Contact your local recycling facility and learn more about what they can and cannot recycle.

Recycling rules will depend on where you live so you need to get informed in your city or on your city's website.

We can recycle paper 5 to 7 times on average, so it is not infinite but it's better than nothing.

Apply the rules, and do not put something in the recycling bin out of guilt when it cannot be recycled. You'd risk sending all your recycling to the landfill.

Also, don't put your greasy pizza box in the recycling as it cannot be recycled since it is not clean.

To save trees, we need to learn how to recycle properly.

11 – Prefer second-hand furniture

If you intend on buying new wooden furniture, consider buying a second-hand option instead.

Doing this, you will directly be reusing wood and preventing new wood from being produced.

Second-hand shopping is amazing for protecting the planet!

And you will save a lot of money, which is a win-win situation!

Or if you have a piece of wooden furniture at home that you don't use, why don't you try and find a way to use it?

You might need to paint it or to DIY it, but that's a great way to reuse wood.

Selling unused wooden furniture is another alternative.

12 – Choose FSC certified wood

If you need to buy new wooden or paper items, whether these are notebooks or furniture, look for items with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.

This means that the products were made from wood that was sustainably sourced. This way, you aren't contributing to mass deforestation.

13 – Buy second-hand books or go to the library

If you're an avid reader like me and you want to save trees at the same time, consider getting your books second-hand.

I wrote a whole blog post about the many benefits of second-hand shopping and how it helps save the planet, you should check it out!

The library is also an amazing resource to get your books, and it is even cheaper.

14 – Donate unused books and magazines

If you have books or magazines that you don't plan on reading again in the future, why don't you give them to other people?

It will give them a new life and bless someone in the process.

You could donate your books to your library, to friends and family, or second-hand stores.

Check if you don't have any little free book-sharing box in your neighborhood! These are amazing!

And you could even sell some of your more recent books online and get some money back.

Not to mention that decluttering unused books is a great thing to do if you want to simplify your life and live more minimally.

15 – Choose ebooks

Another great way to save trees is simply not to buy any paper books and read books virtually instead.

Nowadays, we can find most books in an ebook version which we should take advantage of!

If reading on a screen doesn't bother you, get yourself an e-reader, and enjoy your books on it. It is also very practical while traveling!

16 – Look for second-hand boxes when moving

Next time you are moving houses, try not to get any new cardboard boxes.

Your local supermarket probably has tons of boxes that they can give you for free.

Or ask around to see if other people could give you their cardboard boxes. Ask in Facebook groups if someone has any.

I'm sure you'll find some, there are so many out there that have already been produced!

Also use bags, suitcases, and storage boxes you may already have at home.

17 – Reuse delivery packaging and wrapping paper

If you sometimes order things online, you probably have cardboard boxes around your home. Try to reuse them in some way.

For reselling things, for storing items, or for moving as I mentioned in the previous point.

Same thing with wrapping paper. Keep it when you receive it and then reuse it when you need to give a present to someone.

Reusing wrapping paper will help save trees and paper.

18 – Reduce your beef consumption

According to the Rainforest Partnership, cattle ranching is causing 80% of the deforestation in the Amazon.

This number doesn't even include the areas of land that have been deforested to grow food for the cattle.

If you want to save trees, consider reducing your meat consumption, especially beef.

Try one meatless day a week, or even better, go vegetarian or vegan.

19 – Choose the less packaged option at the supermarket

Whether what you intend to buy is wrapped in cardboard or plastic, it is important to pick the less packaged option.

Cardboard is still better for the environment than plastic, but it's not great for trees.

If you can, choose food with no packaging.

So many products are wrapped in plastic AND a cardboard box. I always see this with cereals.

Why?!

In these cases, the cardboard box is often useless. Always choose the less packaged option.

20 – Plant trees

If you want to go further and help save trees even more, why don't you plant a tree or two in your backyard?

It's so satisfying to see them grow with time!

If you choose fruit trees, you could even get tons of fruits each year, so it's even better. You'll be eating local food from your garden.

If you cannot plant any tree in your area, please at least don't cut them down.

21 – Use Ecosia as your search engine

Another great way to support tree planting is to switch your search engine to Ecosia.

I've been using it for years and truly love their mission and action they take.

Ecosia is a search engine that dedicates 80% of its profits to planting trees and forests.

It is free and all you need to do is to make the switch today and you'll be planting trees with your searches.

22 – Get involved

If a forest is about to get cut down, write to politicians to tell them you disagree with the project.

You can also sign petitions online to protest against projects that involve deforestation.

Even better, if you have the means to, support organizations that focus on tree conservation, either with your time or money.

23 – Spread the word

Another great thing you can to save trees is to spread the message to as many people as you can.

Share your knowledge with other people about how they can take action and support tree conservation.

Give them tips to help them save paper in their everyday life. Share this article with your friends and family or any other resource on the topic.

There you have it! Those were 23 impactful ways to take action to save trees!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you learned how to help save trees and protect Earth's forests!

Whether you try to implement all these tips, or just a few, it will make a massive difference.

Because your actions do have an impact on the world and our planet! You have the power to create change and inspire other people to do so as well.

What are your favorite ways to save trees? Which of these tips will you start implementing?

I'd love to know that, please leave a comment down below!