May 08 2008
The three Rs
So, we’ve all heard of the three Rs. No, not the three Rs of yester-year (reading, writing and arithmetic… clearly if they’d gotten through the first R, they wouldn’t have called it the three r’s…). No, I’m talking about today’s Rs of planetary goodness: reduce, reuse, recycle. Perhaps you all are more aware of what these mean, but I’m just now really getting it. Maybe you’re not more aware, though, so I thought I’d blog about it. Since we’re baby stepping, I’ll do one R per day for the next few days.
Reduce
This basic of environmentalism is the easiest to explain, but the hardest to put into action. Reduce. That’s what you do. Reduce how much water you use. Reduce the amount of energy you consume. Reduce the amount of trash you produce. Reduce the amount of space the trash you do produce takes up. Reduce the amount of stuff you buy. Just plain reduce. If it can be reduced in number, size, shape or form, do it. I think the fact that there is more information out there about how to accomplish reducing supports my notion that this one is the hardest (though all the info means it’s a little easier than it might be otherwise). Here are a few fast tips I picked up here and there.
1. Choose items that have as little packaging as possible. For example, in the cereal aisle, those bagged cereals have less packaging compared to the boxed ones. The oatmeal in a big ol’ can has less packaging than the instant packs. By the way, we have been buying the big ol’ cans for a while now because we found they’re cheaper, just as easy as the instant packs, they have less sugar and are just generally more nutritious. I keep a 1/2 cup measuring cup in the can (one serving) so all I have to do is pour it in a bowl, add the water and microwave for 2 minutes, 30 seconds on med. power. Just a side note.
2. In the produce section, don’t bag everything. The bananas don’t really need a bag, do they? Nah. Turns out, niether do my avocados, kiwis, apples, oranges, etc. I’m going to wash or peel them anyway, so whatever yuckiness they may pick up will be gone before I eat it. If they really need a container to keep them from rolling around, I can stick them in my reusable grocery bags I brought with me. Or, when I forget those, I can use one produce bag for multiple things.
3. Start a compost pile (click here for info). Okay, I know… this one sounds like more than just a baby step. I’m with you. Me? I’m still working up to this one. I just include it for those in the advanced class. I’m hoping to get to this in my own life (and on the blog) in a week… or two or three.
4. Here’s one I stole from this site.
Lots of families receive a large amount of advertisements and other junk mail that they do not want. You can stop the mailings and reduce waste by writing to the following address and requesting that they take your name off of their distribution list:
Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
5. Reduce what you print and when you do print, use both sides of the paper. Hopefully, your printer isn’t the kind that jams at the mere thought of sending a paper back through. Mine isn’t and I actually appreciate having half of the papers to carry around and keep track of. Speaking of printers, sometimes when I go to buy ink, I see printers that cost less–ink and all–than a cartridge for mine. It’s tempting to just get a new printer every time (you’ve thought it, too, haven’t you?). We know that’s wasteful and even the least green person out there usually chooses to resist temptation. Even so, I offer this little tidbit to help you remain virtuous when next tempation strikes. An unverified source tells me those printers come with a less-than-full ink cartridge. You’re not saving any money because you’re going to run out of ink faster than you would if you’d just bought a cartridge.
Baby Step review: We’re hugging trees, using reusable grocery bags, paying attention to the plethera of information out there and hosting green events. Now, we’re trying to reduce, too. We’re making progress here!
One Response to “The three Rs”
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Liked your comments. Becoming more green is everybody’s responsibility and it really is not so hard once you get used to it. I keep my reusable grocery bags in the trunk of the car. After I unload the groceries, I put the bags by the door and take them out when I go, storing them in all together in another bag. Something else about reduce is to reduce both the number of times you use the clothes dryer and the time it runs. Mostly the clothes are dry long before the buzzer sounds to let you know the cycle is finished. Also, taking the cloths out of the dryer early and hanging them up helps the wrinkles to come out and the clothes come out very nicely. Keep up the good work — your comments are interesting.