A few weeks ago I started my three-part series on the three Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - and tackled the topic of how to get started recycling.

Today is part two of the series and I want to talk a bit about reducing consumption and waste!

We live in a consumer-driven society which is, unfortunately, bad news for our checking accounts and for the Earth. All that is consumed must be disposed of somewhere - generally speaking in landfills or incinerators.

There are a lot of ways, however, that we can cut back on our consumption and our waste, but we must first examine how much we really use and then think about how much we really need.

Things to ponder

• Consider how much you and your family consume on a daily or weekly basis. How much of that comes from wants and how much comes from needs?
• Every time you buy something, consider "where will this go when I'm done with it?"
• How much trash does your family produce each week? What could you do to reduce that amount?

Reduce it!
Here are some relatively simple ways you can reduce the amount of waste/trash you and your family produce and save yourselves some money too.

1. Make foods (bread, butter, yogurt, cheese, etc.), including meals, from scratch
2. Buy non-perishable foods that you consume a lot of in bulk
3. Make a menu and shop with a list so that you only buy the perishable food items you will use for the upcoming week
4. Avoid single-serving packages of food or drinks
5. Store leftovers in reusable containers
6. Consider packing foods for lunches (for school/work) in reusable containers rather than disposable plastic baggies
7. Buy used rather than new whenever you can
8. Consider taking your own mug to your local coffee shop
9. When going out to eat, consider bringing along some reusable containers to take home leftovers
10. Use tap water in a reusable bottle rather than buying bottled water
11. Make your own cleaning products (more on this in a future post)
12. Use reusable rags, broom, mops, cloths, etc. for cleaning instead of disposable products
13. Use cloth diapers and wipes
14. Compost your food waste (more on this in a future post)
15. Plant a garden or join a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA (more on this in a future post)
16. Receive and pay bills online
17. Use reusable shopping bags
18. Don't print receipts at the ATM or gas station

Take Action
Select two or three things from the list to start out and commit to doing them. Once you have those mastered, add another, and then another. You will soon be well on your way to reducing your consumption and helping our Earth. 

Be sure to join me over at Blissfully Domestic Living to discuss reducing your consumption and waste in more detail.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under Green Living.

By the three Rs, I don't mean reading, writing and arithmetic.

The Rs I'm talking about are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. This is the first installment of a three-part series on the three Rs. Today we'll cover recycling!

RECYCLING

Why should I recycle?
When you recycle, you are saving money, natural resources and energy. Because less energy is used to recycle something rather than make a new something, factories don't release as much pollution. The materials you recycle are made into new products, thus keeping them out of landfills or incinerators.

What can I recycle?
This varies by location, but you can search by recyclable materials and your ZIP Code at Earth 911 to find recycling centers in your area. You can also call your city to find out if you have a curbside collection program and what is and is not accepted. Some cities accept a limited amount of materials at the curbside, but have a recycling center for other materials.

Some of the most common recyclable items are aluminum and tin/steel cans, glass, plastic bottles, paper and newspaper, and cardboard. Other items that can and should be recycled include batteries (very important), electronics, magazines and phone books. Food waste is another thing that can be recycled through composting, but that is a topic I will tackle another day.

How do I do it?
If your city has a curbside recycling program, they will probably supply you with a bin to keep your recyclables in until your designated pick-up day.

If you do not have a curbside program or if you want to recycle additional materials not included with the curbside collection, you might want to invest in a few bins or totes to separate out your recyclables and to use, once you've accumulated enough, to transport them to your nearest recycling center. We actually use large empty dog food bags to put all of our cardboard in (from cereal boxes, egg cartons, etc.) and transport it to the recycling center that way.

Most recycling programs require you to wash out the item (bottles, glass, cans, etc.) before recycling it. This is a good practice to get into if you are going to be storing the items in your home, garage or yard for a while before making a trip to the recycling center as it will eliminate odors from building up. It's a good idea to check with your city or recycling center to find out if labels or lids need to be removed as well.

What else can I recycle?
Other items that can be recycled and used again by another person or family through donation to a charity organization or by using Freecycle are clothing, appliances, furniture, toys, books, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. I will write more about Freecycle in a future post.

Learn more
You can learn a lot more about recycling at Earth 911 or the EPA's Recycle City.

It takes a little prep work to get started, but once you have a system in place, the effort required is minimal and you can feel proud that you're doing something good for the Earth!

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Green Living.