Social Issues

Living Green

The main idea is to increase the value you obtain from the resources you use.  These resources include everything from the water you drink to the clothes that you wear.

By doing so, you benefit yourself as well as your community–at the local, national and global level.

Reduce

We can reduce the number of goods we use by simply buying things with less packaging, buying in bulk, and by buying less in the long run.  We can also reduce what we use by simply avoiding making the garbage in the first place.

It is also important to make a change in your purchasing habits by being honest with yourself about what you really need to purchase.  Often, the purchases end up unused and discarded weeks or even days after leaving the store.  If we do not purchase these things, we do not have to worry about where to dispose of the waste after we are finished using these things.

Reuse & Repurpose

Items can be reused for more purposes than their original design–by you and others you may not have even thought of.  Donate items to goodwill or salvation army, give things away to people in need, continue to use items instead of throwing them away.

With a little creativity, you can think of many examples of reusing & repurposing.

Here are some examples:

• Use a broken picture frame and turn it into an earring holder
• Use an old door as a desk or headboard
• Turn broken dishes into mosaic tiles
• Take old twin mattresses and use them as a sectional sofa
• Turn trash into art (sculpture)
• Use the other side of the paper when printing then recycle the paper

Recycle

Recycling is a great way to dispose of items that you no longer need.  Recycling helps to save energy, prevents pollution, creates manufacturing jobs, and conserves resources.  Recycling includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials such as fibers, manufacturing raw materials into new products, and purchasing recycled products.

Collecting and processing secondary materials, manufacturing recycled-content products, and then buying recycled products creates a circle or loop that ensures the overall success and value of recycling.

Tips to make recycling easy:

• Create recycling bins by reusing small wastebins or boxes
• Keep your recycling bins in an area near your trash can so you will remember to use it
• Locate the Nearest Recycling Center or find out if your garbage company will pickup recyclables
• Sorting recylables as you put them in bins is much faster than sorting paper/plastic/glass right before you take them to be recycled
• Find out the rules for what items can be recycled in your area before setting up your home recycling program

If you are honest with yourself about your purchasing habits, and the way you use and reuse these products, you can begin to reduce waste, save time & money, and help the planet.

Be part of the solution, not the problem!!!