Sweet Spot

ok, here’s a silly idea. We print things on dead tree pulp, then shred the stuff back into pulp and start over, calling it recycling. Except every time the fibers get shorter and the stuff is less useful. Also dirtier.

So why not engineer some sort of nanomaterial that is like permanent paper; absorbent in all the right ways, with perhaps some memory metal to help it stay flat. Then, engineer the inks so that their adhesion can be released at will. I’m imagining a bottle of special detergent; you throw a cupful along with the ‘paper’ into the clothes washing machine, wash, dry, and voila! your paper is white, clean, and ready for reuse.

We might have the same problems we have now with whiteboard markers vs. poster markers. But it would be a really nice way to save a few trees.

Happy earth day!