I used to know a guy who was steadfast in his belief that every single story on the news boiled down to one of two topics. The first was “I want my baby back,” and the second was “Why water can kill you.”

Think about it for a minute; he was (cheekily, to be sure) on to something.

When it comes to greener living, I find myself quoting that “why water can kill you” line often. It seems like every other week there’s news explaining why the thing you thought was so green turns out to be less environmentally friendly than the alternative.

Or—to give an example folks of my generation may remember—consider butter. Remember when They (who are They, anyway?) decided butter was bad, and every household in America switched to margarine? And then later, They decided that actually, trans-fats are even worse, maybe we should all go back to butter…? I’m talking about stuff like that.

So when I came across this piece on green living myths in the Christian Science Monitor, I started chuckling before I even read it. That said, a couple of them really surprised me.

Go give it a read. I know it never once occurred to me that recycled paper may be less earth-friendly than virgin paper. (See? You’re surprised, already.)