Reduce, Reuse, then Recycle: The Better Green Choice

In my article, Sustainability Now, we discussed that many community has several groups that are practicing sustainability in some fashion. One way many cities have begun a move toward sustainability is through recycling. However, there are actually three steps to this type of sustainability. Thee first two are Reduce and Re-use.

Reduce

To Reduce means to use less of. We can make the choice to use less products. For instance, if you use paper towels, you can use a dish towel for clean up and wash it. In fact, if you rinse it out after every use, and use dish soap to clean it when it gets really dirty, then you can stop using paper towels completely. Another reduce, is to use cloth napkins. Of course, bicyling, walking, public transportation, if available, reduces consumption of fossil fuel. Keeping your heat or air conditioner at a "less" comfortable setting keeps this usage down as well. One thing that many people do not think about is to drive a little below the speed limit and even get up to speed at a slower rate. Gone are the days where members of the opposite sex are excited by an individual who floors the gas pedal to get from one stop sign to the next.

Re-use

According to wikipedia re-use is defined as: "to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a new function." Many people utilize plastic bottles from juice, milk, and many other liquids. These can be washed out and used again and again. In my house, glass jars are used not only for storage of leftovers, and oils, but as drinking glasses as well.