A few years ago, we wandered the dirt roads of Vancouver Island to some of the last patches of virgin forest in the Pacific Northwest. Active logging roads wound over rivers, through clear cuts and passing hills of new trees waiting their turn to be cut.

As piles of dead branches of recently logged plots smoked along the boulder-embedded road, we discovered first-hand Earth’s terrestrial islands where endangered forests remain unprotected.

We were staring at iconic symbols, perhaps like one would marvel at one of the last great tuskers of the African elephants. Just like the fate of ivory headed for unfortunate trinkets, these types of trees end up in toilet paper and other common products. Species practically extinct and still being killed… with only 5 percent left.

But this story isn’t about demonizing loggers of the past or present. We all use, and in some cases need, tree products. It’s about looking within and asking: what products do we think ancient trees are worthy of turning into, if any?

Once we began looking for solutions, we discovered most people don’t realize endangered forests are disappearing into their household products. Just as we didn’t. And, after speaking with so many people about the issue, once discovered, many want to change to tree-free products, especially if it’s simple.

The tree saving guide and kit:

– Is inspired by people who want to help protect forests

– Provides simple ways to effectively keep the last giants standing

– Encourages us to use our collective power/actions to protect them

It was during that trip, and other times we met in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, we discussed the paradoxes of “doing good” — the individual evolution to an ethical, greener life; the impact one person (in particular, an inherently high-consumer Westerner) has on the planet; the irony of drinking out of paper coffee cups while talking about saving trees.

Nobody’s perfect at being perfect. It’s an ever-long process. But we can’t let the complexity discourage us. Each of us should own empowerment and pursue virtuous paths using our voices, dollars and empathy to fuel those causes. Movements require thousands of individual actions.

While our curiosity for pursuing the ethical side of life brought us together, it’s the trees that spoke to us. And somehow we listened.