“We all grew up with the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. Did you know there are more that we didn’t learn?! Others include: rethink, refuse/reject, repair, rot, and responsible disposal. And remember, these are ordered. You should try to refuse, reduce, reuse, and repair BEFORE you recycle. Recycling wasn’t meant to be a solution on its own.” — Northwest Vermont Solid Waste Management District. (Go here to see their Facebook post with the friendly little green graphics. It’s a good page to follow; they’ve got lots of tips.)
“Refuse” is a personal favorite of mine because it’s a great way to put money in our pocket as well as helping the planet.
It’s not always possible to avoid taking on some product or packaging, but I’m always looking for ways to refuse stuff I don’t need. It’s almost like a little resistance game. We are less vulnerable, more secure, if we don’t have to depend on lots & lots of stuff produced by big faraway corporations that don’t have a vested interest in the wellbeing of our communities.
“Rethink” is another favorite of mine. Interestingly, rethinking often involves reaching back in memory and asking ourselves, “How did people used to get along without this ?”
Sometimes the old-fashioned way actually works better, but we just forgot. Convenience is very seductive and we sometimes just forget the hidden costs.
A fellow landscaper Evolving Landscapes LLC commented on my Facebook, saying they like to include “Restore” as one of the R’s. Yes please!!