The goal is to overcome the hurdles generally posed by limited money and training in such remote areas -- and reduce fuel wood consumption by 75 percent.

CNN: 'Green' revolution under way in rural China

Tourism accounts for an estimated 10% increase in wood consumption, according to the Nepalese government, which leads to an estimated 240 million cubic metres of mountain topsoil lost on Everest every year, further triggering forest depletion.

BBC: Everest's growing problem

Paradigm works primarily in rural Kenya, providing women with clean cookstoves that reduce wood consumption and toxic smoke, saving long and often treacherous journeys to collect wood and preventing the development of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses.

FORBES: Connect

Mr Wood argues that China is doing more to boost domestic consumption (for example, through incentives to stimulate purchases of cars and consumer durables, and increased health-care spending) than America is doing to boost its saving.

ECONOMIST: China's export prospects

Just so we are clear about this particular waste let me explain directly from the European Topic Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production: CND waste includes soils, concrete, bricks, glass, wood, plasterboard, asbestos, metals and plastic.

FORBES: Coming Soon: Intelligent Recycling Robots

It says the way to reduce paper use lies in cutting consumption in industrialised countries, improving papermaking efficiency, and using more recycled paper and materials other than wood in manufacture.

BBC: Half paper waste 'could be saved'