5 things to do with your newspaper on Earth Day

Some of us (though our numbers are dwindling) still enjoy unfurling a crisp paper each morning. We love the musky scent of fresh newsprint and noticing just a trace of ink residue on our fingers as we sip our coffee.

Although 60 percent of our newsprint contains recycled fibers, that doesn’t mean we don’t also feel a bit guilty about the trees felled and pulped for print.

Help us out on this Earth Day. Celebrate the printed word and environmental stewardship at the same time.

Here are some ideas on how to reuse and recycle today’s Seattle Times. (Reducing is another option, but our subscription numbers are dropping fast enough, thank you.)

1. Compost it. Shredded newspaper can add structure to your compost pile or work as mulch to contain moisture in soil.

2. Make it into a dress. In last year’s DIY newsprint contest, Esther Choi, a Bellevue High School student created a runway-ready dress with about 150 folded shapes made of newspaper.

“I was watching out of my window, and the wind was blowing and the leaves falling down,” Choi said of her inspiration for the dress, “so I kind of wanted to make the leaf shape out of newspapers.”

3. Create your own “Star Wars” figurines. Seattle Art Institute student John Newton created his own bounty hunter from newsprint for our 2014 newsprint content. We’re months away from the next installment of the “Star Wars” franchise: Perhaps some papier-mâché might get you excited about the new flick?

4. Fire. Is there anything better than a night under the stars in a Northwest forest? Let The Seattle Times start your night off right.

5. At the very least, recycle yesterday’s news. Here’s a handy guide to recycling and composting in Seattle (and no, your whole dead chicken should not be composted).