Sadly much of her beauty is being destroyed by our nasty habits of consumption and waste.
Fifty percent of the wetlands, 90% of the northwestern old-growth forests, and 99% of the tall-grass prairie have been destroyed in the last 200 years.When I read this I was shocked! We have only 10% of our old-growth forests left and 1% of our prairie?! So, is there anything little o' me and you can do to prevent the rest of our country from being depleted, or at least decrease the amount of depletion? Of course there is!
Americans generate 250 million tons of garbage per year.Most of this garbage has not reached the end of it's useful life and can be reused or up-cycled!
Some of the things we throw out and unnecessarily fill up landfills with are: plastic, aluminum, and textiles just to name a few. When we recycle these things, not only do they stay out of landfills, but they also decrease the use of energy and money. It costs less to recycle materials than to make virgin materials.
Energy saved from recycling one ton of aluminum is equal to the amount of electricity the average home uses over 10 years.
We throw out a lot of wood products as well. While these wood products are mostly bio-degradable and don't use as much energy to create, it is still harmful because to replace what we threw out we are buying new wood products which means more trees being cut down and more forests being destroyed.
I could go on and on about the benefits of recycling but to keep this from turning into a book I'll share some ways we can help conserve our beautiful Earth!
Starting at the beginning; purchasing decisions. When we buy products, no matter what product it is, clothing, food, or any other thing, we should look at the materials. The materials it is made of; is it made from recycled or organic materials? Organic materials are important because this means that their are not crops being sprayed with pesticides which kill fish and animals and pollute ground water. This doesn't take a lot of effort or change on our part, but simply buying things with the materials used in mind can significantly cut back on waste.
We should also look at the packaging the product comes in. Is it efficient or is there a lot of excess materials used? One example is a flash drive. It's only a few inches long yet they usually come in packaging much larger than the item itself. Look for products with minimal or recyclable packaging.
Also use re-usable shopping bags! This idea has been around for awhile but most of the time we forget them in our trunk or at home and use the plastic bags anyways. That's why I love these bags found on Modcloth.com. They fold up small enough to carry on your key chain or toss in your purse or back-pack.
When purchasing clothing or household items it is a good idea to buy used items. If you do this it can cut back on production which leads to extra use of energy and materials. Reducing is better than recycling. By the way, I'm not just referring to used/worn things you can find at resale shops. I'm also talking about vintage! Who doesn't love a few good vintage pieces in their wardrobe? Or better yet a completely vintage wardrobe! Not to mention old or vintage furniture which can easily be painted or refurbished making for a fashionable and unique abode!
also from Modcloth.com
If you want to save money don't even bother buying new/used/vintage clothing at all. Up-cycle the clothing already in your closet! "Up-cycling is taking waste and making it into something that has equal or greater use or value." This term was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things." I absolutely love this idea and have seen many great ways people have done this. You can be very creative with this!
upcycled shirt dress
Another time to think about our Earth is when we are throwing things away. Consider keeping a few cans or tubs in your home that you use for sorting everything you throw out. Whether it be paper, aluminum, glass, or textiles, these things can all be recycled. In fact most things CAN be recycled. Electronics, steel, appliances, or at least parts of all of these things can be re-used as well. Before lugging things to the dump check around your town to see if there is a place that takes any of these products. Stillwater has two recycling centers.
As for textiles, never throw them in the trash! Even if you think they can't be used anymore, they can. Most towns have several resale shops that take donations as well as Goodwill and Salvation Army. Some resale shops even donate all of their profits to local charities. Karman Korner and Elite Repeat are two resale shops in Stillwater that do this. Salvation Army is a great place to take textile scraps. Things that are no longer sell-able can be used for scrap in things like archery targets, oil rags, carpet padding, and many other things. Salvation Army bundles these scraps and sells them to scrap collectors.
Whatever you do, be creative! Make recycling, up-cycling, or donating fun for the whole family!
I hope I have been helpful in providing a few solutions to waste. I would like my children and grandchildren to be able to experience the beauty of Earth. Let us all strive to extend the life our wonderful planet.
Happy Earth Day!
Resources:
mindfully.org
kab.org
Love,
Jessica
