Welcome to Being Green Beyond Recycling. Relax, if all you do now is recycle then you are among the millions of billions of people to be doing just that. You have thought about the impact you have on earth but to really make a difference we are going to need to move beyond recycling and work on creating new earth friendly habits. Let’s start simple. You may have heard of the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” , this article will focus on reducing our affect on the earths resources.
Saying no to unnecessary packaging is be a very effective way to help eliminate waste. To go containers, paper cups and plastic forks are all things you should avoid if possible because they are not easily recycled and often are contributed into the garbage. Using your own mugs, water bottles and reusable containers can be a refreshing change of pace and can sometimes even earn you rebates when stores reward you for your efforts. Another easy habit is to bring a reusable bag grocery shopping. It is estimated that each year 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. There are so many fashionable options of reusable and affordable bags you could use. Again some stores will give you a rebate reward for bringing your own.
Learning to use less water has been a challenge for me. I am still not perfect but there are many ways to begin to try to be more aware of the water we use. Don’t run the water when you are brushing your teeth, make sure clothing is really dirty before washing it and showering instead of taking a bath are all simple things we can do to make a difference. A more drastic approach, in my opinion, is not flushing the toilet every time it is used. I am open to the idea but for many it seems less than ideal. Toilets use between 1.6 and 5.5 gallons of water per flush, imagine the progress made by just not flushing as often. Try just one of the idea’s in this article and you will begin to be green beyond recycling.
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