Cotton swabs often use either a paperboard or plastic spindle (the stick between the two cotton ends). If the entire U.S. switched to paperboard spindles, the petroleum energy saved would be equivalent to over 1,500,000 gallons of gasoline. By the way, cotton swab is the correct way to refer to these thingies. Q-Tip is a brand, cotton swab is the actual item.
Little cotton swabs, giant global impact. There is probably some sort of metaphor here…