Easy ways to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Buy items with minimal and recyclable packaging.Recycle! Come on! It is so easy in Nashville!
Carpool, riding with friends is fun!
Ride that bike, baby! Check out Halcyon Bikes and East Side Cycles for cool rides!
Make it a habit of bringing your own bag when you go shopping. I am sure your bag is way cuter than that ugly plastic one!
Switch some of your old light bulbs for CFL (Compact Flouresent) bulbs. Save money on your NES bill at the same time!
Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth!
Wanna win a fabulous Dogeared tote bag filled with great Earth Day goodies? Leave a comment below and tell us how you Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Three winners will be chosen at random on Earth Day using the random number generator at random.org.
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7 comments:
I have a lot of bags that I shop with - including a couple cooler bags. Recently I've started washing my clothes in the washer, but hanging them to air dry.
Some ways that I try to recycle reduce and reuse are revamp clothing from old clothes that I pick up from free boxes or goodwill, recycling as much of my waste as possible, paper, metal, glass, cardboard and plastic are to be found labeled on bins in my kitchen, saving collections of things like bottle caps and corks for craft projects, eliminating as much plastic bag waste as possible by using canvas bags that I keep in my car and one that I keep my purse because it collapses. I even use to reuse old tests and worksheets from school that were only printed on one side to write letters on which always made for some interesting responses in the reply letters.
I started buying biodegradable bags to pick up after my pup! I realized that it was actually not a good idea to reuse plastic grocery store bags to fossilize what would otherwise be organic waste. They aren't that expensive, and are another way I'm able to completely rid myself of plastic bags.
I REDUCE my carbon footprint by saying no to paper and plastic, swearing off plastic water bottles by keeping a pitcher of tap water in my fridge, keeping a home that is free of styrofoam, and buying local produce...why would you buy a tomato that traveled 3,000 miles when you can find one down the road or in your own backyard! I take the stairs when there is an elevator, walk to the store rather than drive, and refusing to print unnecessary documents that are destined to end up in the trash.
I REUSE grocery totes, food scraps for compost, plastic containers that originally held sour cream for faux tupperware. I even have an old oatmeal box labeled "creative utensils" that holds my markers, paint brushes, and scissors.
I RECYCLE tin cans, junk mail, plastic bags, paper, toilet paper rolls, and magazines.
I REDUCE by always selecting double sided printing at work, and always taking notes on the reverse of incoming fax pages. I have traded in paper cups and to go mugs for the wahsable variety, and make a point of recycling not only old scrap paper, but also pages that have been shredded.
I too have started using biodegradable doggie pick up bags, as well as biodegradable disposable silverware (made from corn)!
We recycle EVERYTHING. It is amazing how small our trash got once we started paying attention. I use reusable canvas bags for all my shopping, and go without bags as often as I can. (Thanks, giant handbag!) We buy and eat local as much as possible, stopped using all disposable paper products, and did an energy audit on our house and are starting to implement changes to what we found.
It can feel overwhelming (there are SO many things to do!) but we have found that doing things one at a time and building up our 'earthiness' has really worked well for us.
In addition to recycling all of the paper, cardboard, glass, and anything else that Nashville will recycle (it's amazing how much less I take out the trash!), I also recycle jewelry making supplies. I re-use plastic baggies that components are sent to me in, and I collect scraps of sterling silver and gold, which I send back to my supplier to recycle into new jewelry parts!
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