Aithal(2016) Writing was initially developed in Mesopotamia's River Plains around 3100 BC, long before

the advent of paper. Clay was readily available in this location and was utilized by the temple scribes as a
writing medium. The wedge-shaped impressions left by a reed's corner when pushed on damp clay were
used to create characters. Cuneiform was the name given to this writing type. These clay tablets were
then sun-dried until they were completely dry. However, transmitting communications was extremely
inconvenient. Egypt was the first to discover a portable writing medium around 3000 BC. People began
creating a flexible smooth surface from Cyperus papyrus, an aquatic plant that thrived along the Nile
River that received and maintained ink without blurring or smudging. As a result, the word "paper"
comes from the Latin language. Papyrus" . It was used for writing in ancient Egypt and other
Mediterranean cultures for more than 3500 years before paper was introduced to the Middle East and
Europe. From 1500BC, bamboo books in China were as easy to write as papyrus in Egypt. For longer
papers, Chinese utilized thin bamboo strips to write in a single column or two lines of threads attached
to each bamboo strip. For approximately 1000 years, these were utilized in the "Shang Dynasty"

Aithal (2016) Palm leaves (tada-patra): Palm leaves (tada, tala, or tati) were commonly employed for
writing manuscripts in southern India. "The Hindus have, in the south of their country, a slender tree like
the date and coconut palms, bearing edible fruits and leaves of one yard in length and as broad as three
figures, one put beside the other... They call these leaves tati and write on them... They bind a book of
these leaves together by a cord on which they are arranged, the cord going through all the leaves by a
hole in the middle of each... They write the title of a book at the end...",

Aithal (2016) As we progress farther into the digital world, one may expect our consumption of paper to
decrease. With so many tree-free, environmentally friendly alternatives available, here are some ideas
for reducing our reliance on trees and, perhaps, reducing the 40% of paper products that wind up in
landfills. Many of the alternative papers are not bleached at all or are processed with sustainable oxygen
molecules. A supposedly exotic and earthy option for notebooks, notepads, postcards, stationery, and
gift cards.