Not Just Recycling

Recycling- it's the responsible thing to do. We sort our waste items and place them neatly by the side of the road to be whisked away to the facilities where they are converted into other usable items. For most people, this is where it stops, but have you ever taken the time to look at that cute little logo? It has three arrows which form a continuing triangle. These three sides represent the words reduce, reuse, recycle. "Sure," you say, "I already know that. Get to the point." My point is simply this: when was the last time you really thought about what those words mean? Our responsibilities don't just stop at putting sorted refuse out for pickup. Reducing our usage means everything, because even with recycling, energy is used to convert these materials from one thing to another. That energy largely comes from fossil fuels and we already know that these fuels are not beneficial to our atmosphere! Using less seems like such a burden in our society, which is fueled by the mantra "buy, buy, buy!". This is where we can make the biggest difference though, because with less consumption comes less production of goods, thus prolonging our natural resources. Then there's Reuse. Americans are snobs, let's face it. We want our things to match, to blend, to look as we want them to. Some of us even use designer clothes, housewares, etc. because we're REALLY cool kids. But what happens when we throw that to the wind? Let's do something creative with the things we're done with. You can call it art if it makes you feel better. It is amazingly empowering to feel like you're really doing your part to make our planet better for ourselves and our generations to come. So try it already!