Going Green? Maybe, Maybe not

         I've been thinking about writing about this for a while. A couple of years ago, I was in the men's room at our local Stop & Shop, and after I washed my hands, I noticed the paper towels were gone and had been replaced by one of those warm air hand driers. On the wall was a sign that said "Going green, we are eliminating paper towels to reduce the waste and threat of "climate change".
        OK, I understand what they are trying to do, but let's take a close look at it. Paper for the towels is made from trees. Trees are a renewable resource, and for the most part started growing after the start of the industrial revolution. The paper from these trees when burned (most waste today is sent to "trash to energy" plants and burned to create energy). When those towels are burned they are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that was stored by the tree since the industrial revolution started, so there is no net increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. I realize there is a slight increase because of the fuel burned by trucks hauling the waste, but it is insignificant.
        Now lets look at the warm air hand driers. Since the air is warm, it is heated by a heating element inside and also requires electricity to run. Where does this electricity come from? It comes from power plants, that for the most part are fueled by fossil fuels (coal, oil, or natural gas). I know there is some power generation from nuclear, wind, and solar, but they are not significant at this point in time. By burning those fossil fuels, those plants are releasing CO2 into the atmosphere that was stored millions of years ago, and is being released now, resulting in a big net gain of CO2.
        So what appears on the surface to be a good thing for the environment is really significantly worse. Bring back the paper towels. You can dry hands a lot faster with them anyway.