Earth Day is on Saturday, April 22, so it’s a great time to think about your impact on our planet and consider ways to live a little “greener.” A familiar catchphrase associated with Earth Day is to “reduce, reuse, recycle.” This year consider incorporating in the three lesser-known R’s – refuse, repair, and repurpose into your life. Below explains what each of the six R’s mean, and what the options are when it comes to reducing waste. As well as different ways to participate in Earth Month.
REDUCE
If it’s not something you can say no to entirely, try reducing your consumption. No one is perfect when it comes to these practices, but if we can all try and reduce what we buy and consume as much as we can, the earth will be less polluted and less waste in our landfills.
REUSE
Reusing is a great approach when thinking about extending an item’s lifecycle. Try reusing your plastic forks for more than one meal and using both sides of the paper for to-do lists and notes. Even better, invest in more high-quality reusable items like reusable water bottles, grocery bags, and dryer balls (rather than dryer sheets)!
RECYCLE
Recycling should actually be the last resort of all the R’s. Many items, specifically plastics, don’t end up recycled due to several issues, like the rules and policies in place in your area. However, if that is your only option, it is important to remember to clean your plastic waste before if is picked up for recycling.
REFUSE
Refusing is one of the most beneficial practices when thinking about reducing waste. Some examples could be skipping the single-use plastic straw, bringing your own reusable bag, or skipping the printed receipt.
REPAIR
When a product breaks down or doesn’t function properly, fix it before tossing it and buying new. Try and find someone to repair it or learn how to repair it yourself. When shopping, be conscious of purchasing items that can be repaired.
REPURPOSE
Repurposing, or upcycling, is a more creative approach to reusing. It is the process of taking something you have already used and turning it into something else that can continue to be used. For example, you could use an old spaghetti sauce jar as a vase for flowers, turn old T-shirts into cleaning rags, or milk cartons into bird feeders.
Earth Friendly Ideas to Celebrate with Family and Friends:
- Participate in a litter clean up.
- Read good news about the environment and share about the progress that has been made.
- Shop at a local farmers market.
- Compost your food scraps.
- Start a community garden.
- Start a carpool group with friends.
- Restore nature in your area by planting native trees and plants.
- Pull out invasive plant species.
Stay Positive and Spread Hope
According to recent studies, hopeful messages are more likely to motivate people to be green. So when encouraging others to consider their impact to the planet, help them feel more motivated and less guilty. Another study found that when 25 percent or more of people in a group tried something new, the rest of group was more likely to as well. Peer pressure can be effective and so is setting a good example. So spread positivity and be a leader for the change you want to see, you might be making a bigger difference than you think. If we all did a little, we could all benefit a lot.
In honor of Earth Day we will be hosting our last Shred Event Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. at our Lakewood branch 9277 W. Alameda Avenue parking lot. Our team will be ready and waiting to collect your shred, to help recycle your personal documents into paper pulp!
This is our last shred event as we have implemented year-long shred services for our members! We now have locked shred bins in our lobbies and members may bring in their shred anytime, for free. Please limit to two plastic grocery bags worth of shred per week.
Click here to learn more about our upcoming shred event.