Handkerchiefs or facial tissues?

A handkerchief is actually a pretty useful item to carry around and probably due for a comeback. Besides, it's a lot better - in aesthetic terms and environmental ones - than those fidgety little plastic packages of facial tissues.

Whether it's for blowing noses, mopping sweaty brows, tying into an impromptu bag, or signaling surrender to enemies, handkerchiefs are undeniably handy. It can initially feel a little gross to put something used back in your pocket rather than in the trash, but just trust me that you'll get over it — things don't actually get all that messy, so just fold over the offending area and carry on.

If a handkerchief seems too old-fashioned, keep in mind that it's a heck of a lot more environmentally responsible than disposable tissues, and there's nothing outdated about that. It takes 90 years to grow a box of conventional disposable facial tissues - that's a lot of tree to use and toss.

Once you've amass a week's supply — simply toss the used one in the laundry hamper at the end of the day — you'll be fighting the end-of-summer sniffles in style.

To get started, you can buy handkerchiefs at a department store or check out some small BC businesses making organic cotton options (Hank & Cheef and Hankettes). You can also make your own handkerchiefs to get exactly the size and colour you want. If you don't want to just stuff the cloth in a pocket or purse, you can always try some fancy folding.

If after all that, you just can't manage to convince yourself to use a reusable cloth, you can always use Seventh Generation's facial tissues, made of 100% recycled paper and whitened with an environmentally safe process.