paper and plastic

     People get excited about using less paper because paper comes from trees. It doesn't actually grow on trees, but trees are cut down to make it. The wood from the trees is ground into a pulp, mixed with water, and pressed into paper or cardboard.  The paper manufacturers plant more trees, so paper is considered a "renewable" resource. But trees grow slowly, and if we use too much paper, some people think forests will need to be cut down to make it. So we try to recycle the paper, and to use less of it to begin with.
     Plastic, including styrofoam packaging, is made from oil. That's right, oil. Oil is not considered a "renewable" resource. After we get all the oil out of all the oil wells on the Earth, there just won't be any more oil.  Many people prefer to use paper packaging when they have a choice--so the oil will last longer--maybe long enough to find another way to fuel cars and generate electricity--which is where most of the oil goes.