Napkins

If you use them once and then wash them, it might not justify the energy use. However, everybody Ive talked to that uses them tends to use one for the entire day, unless that one is completely dirty. If all you've used it for is to catch crumbs from your lap, you can just shake it off. Plus, they are small enough that they can be added to your normal laundry load without much fuss.

alianora
http://www.silverspiral.net

I agree with the other posters. The energy and waste caused by the creation and disposal of paper napkins more than likely outweighs the energy used to wash cloth napkins.

I've thought about this a lot, actually. Sometimes in order to conserve in one area, we might be using a bit more in another. It turns out being a trade-off between which would impact which area more.

In this case, I agree with the previous poster. Cloth napkins would cut down on waste much more than they would use up in water when washed with other things.
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You must be the change you want to see in the world. - Mohandas Ghandi

Yeah it does cut down on waste. But they don't take up much space so its not like they make up their own load. It probably doesn't take up any extra space in your load.
..Lisa..