Conservation seems to be on everyone’s mind lately. How to save energy, save money, save resources and, most importantly, save the planet (which is the only one we have at the moment). Going Green is definitely on trend and the term reduce, reuse, recycle is used over and over again by the green crowd. Lately a fourth “R” has emerged to join the ranks of the steps to save the planet. This article will discuss what these four “R’s” stand for and the simple ways you can practice them at home, in the car, and even in the workplace.
Reduce
Reduce refers to reducing the amount of energy you use and the amount of waste you generate. There are several easy ways to do this that don’t cause the average person much inconvenience. Being aware of the package of the items you buy is an easy way to reduce your consumption. Avoid products with layered packaging when one would and buy refillable products and their refills whenever possible. Plan your meals ahead of time and avoid wasting food that has gone bad waiting for you to cook it. Save or freeze leftovers for another day. Consider subscribing to a service that will reduce, if not eliminate, the amount of spam you receive (this is good for you and the planet). You can find such services by typing “spam” into Google. Also avoid buying magazines and newspapers that waste thousands of trees each year. Get your news online or on TV. Finally, plug all your appliances and electronics into power strips that you can easily turn off at night and when you’re not using them to prevent “phantom drain” of your electricity. Not only will you reduce your energy usage, but you will also reduce your energy invoice.
re-use
There are many products that can be reused instead of thrown away. Unfortunately, most of us grew up in a throwaway society and don’t think about throwing away products when we feel they’ve served their purpose. For example, if you currently buy individual liquid hand soap dispensers for each sink in your home, you can buy a large bottle of hand soap and refill the smaller containers over and over again. Giving donations is another way to reuse items. You are giving something that you no longer find useful to someone who can use it without having to buy it new and spend all the resources needed to create a new consumer product. Reuse the back of your printer papers by flipping them over and printing them again (just make sure they aren’t used for your kids’ homework, teachers find this annoying). If you grow a garden or would like to, you can use your old vegetable and fruit scraps for composting. Shredded paper, coffee grounds, eggshells, and brown leaves can also be reused this way. The resulting compost is like gold to gardeners, so even if you don’t want to use it, you can probably find a beginning gardener to buy it for you.
Recycle
Recycling is similar to reusing in that the same item is used again. However, with recycling, the item is broken down into a more basic substance and transformed into something completely different. For example, a stack of plastic soda bottles can be reshaped into a child’s sandbox. It’s important to know your community’s rules about recycling because every place is different. On plastic products, for example, you should find a number surrounded by the recycling logo (it looks like a triangle made up of arrows). Certain plastic numbers are more difficult (and more expensive) to recycle, so many communities only accept numbers that are easier to process. You should be able to find out the local laws on your city’s website or by calling your local council. In addition to plastics, which can be tricky, you can generally recycle any can made of metal, any container made of glass, juice and milk cartons (with the cans and glass jars), newspapers, magazines, any printed paper and food boxes. (like the ones the pasta comes in).
Re-use
New to the recycling scene, reuse is my favorite conservation step. I love the idea of finding a new way to use something old. For example, my daughter and I made shell people by painting some old quahog (large clam) shells and hot-gluing some googly eyes and raffia hair to them. Similarly, we use mismatched old socks for hand puppets. I used an old dry sink that was falling apart for a makeshift garden center and an old hose for a homemade irrigation system for my garden. I am currently braiding some strips made from plastic bags into place mats that are easy to keep clean and quite attractive to the green at heart. As you can see, there are endless ways to look at old things with new eyes.