Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle

Even though it’s snowing today in Mammoth, Spring is in the air. And each Spring I clean out all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the Winter months that I don’t need.

Stuff, garbage, junk, waste, call it what you want, is an unavoidable part of life. As it turns out, we humans create quite a bit of it – 4.6 pounds per person per day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - and there aren’t any ideal ways to dispose of it. Not only do landfills take up land that could otherwise be used, but they also can leach pollutants into groundwater and emit methane gas.

Some environmental advocates are calling on manufacturers to consider the entire life cycle of products from manufacture through disposal and to create products that don’t necessarily need to be dumped at the end of their lives, but instead can be composted or made into other products with a minimum of waste. Architect William McDonough is a pioneer in this movement and has coined the phrase “cradle to cradle” To learn more about McDonough’s efforts and programs visit www.mcdonough.com.

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” also known as the “3Rs,” is the cornerstone of environmental philosophy for good reason. We’ve all heard it before, and because it’s so important, it needs to be repeated. Although we’ve all gotten better at recycling paper, cans and bottles there’s still room for improvement. There are plenty of ways to incorporate the principle of the 3Rs into our lives thanks to the Internet’s ability to put us in touch with a larger community and connection to endless “green” resources.

To start, before tossing something in the garbage, determine whether it might be useful to someone else, be suitable for recycling, or require special disposal. We often throw items such as batteries into the trash because we don’t know what else to do with them. However, batteries, motor oil, tires, printer cartridges, floppy discs, video tapes, CDs and cases, pharmaceuticals and other tricky items can be disposed of properly with only a small amount of research.

If you are trying to determine how to pass along or safely dispose of an item, the best place to start is Earth 911, http://www.earth911.com. Just type in your zip code for a listing of local resources. You can also call 1-800-CLEANUP. The National Recycling Coalition website, www.nrc-recycle.org, has links to state government waste departments on its consumer page that will provide information on standard trash removal, recycling, and hazardous waste disposal in your area.

It’s a pretty simple concept, but it’s often the most overlooked of the 3Rs. If you buy less stuff, then you will have fewer things to dispose of. It will save you time, money, conserve natural resources, and reduce pollution, including greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. Consuming less is and important step in making a positive impact on the environment according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Here are some Internet resources to help you get out of the clutter and avoid buying more stuff:

www.lendlist.org is a website where members post items they are willing to lend – everything from sports equipment to tools to books.

www.use-less-stuff.com offers additional tips on reducing.

Most of us have a lot more stuff than we could ever use. Since we live in such a consumer-oriented society, the possibilities for reducing are endless. Here are some more ways to get started:

Buy reusable products. Try to avoid disposable products such as cameras, batteries, razors, water bottles, eating utensils, food containers, and paper cups.

Cut down on the number of bags you take from stores. Bring your own canvas bag!

Reusing is preferable to recycling because the product doesn’t need to be reprocessed before it can be used again. There are many ways to reuse items. Here is a sampling of online resources to help you buy, sell and donate used items:

Bookcrossing.com is an international online community whose goal is to make the “entire world a library.” Members leave and look for registered books in public spaces and track their paths via the Web.

Craigslist, www.craigslist.org, is an online forum where you can post an item for sale or purchase in your region.

Dress for Success, www.dressforsuccess.org, is a nonprofit that provides professional clothing to disadvantaged women who are looking to get back into the workforce. You can donate suits, blouses, blazers and professional shoes that are clean and in good condition.

Ebay, www.ebay.com, is the world’s largest flea market where you can buy and sell just about any old item.

The Freecycle Network, www.freecycle.org, was started in Tucson, Arizona, in 2003 specifically to reduce the waste that was clogging the city’s landfills and now has chapters all over the country. You can list items for donation to other individuals on the website or look for free stuff.

The ReUse People, www.thereusepeople.org, collects and sells building products to keep them out of landfills.

Recycling whenever possible is a no-brainer! Recycling saves energy, water, and other natural resources, and reduces pollution, including the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global climate change. Recycling keeps cans, paper, and bottles out of landfills, oceans, streams, lakes and meadows.

Recycling options vary depending upon where you live. Your best bet is to visit http://earth911.org and enter your ZIP code to see what’s available in your area. Here is a sampling of some other interesting programs in which we can participate:

Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, www.nike.com, accepts any brand of postconsumer (used) athletic shoes that don’t contain metal. The shoes are recycled and the recovered material is then used to make athletic surfaces such as soccer fields, tennis courts and playground matting.

Patagonia Common Threads program, www.patagonia.com/recycle, takes back and recycles fleece clothing, polyester long underwear, and other garments to make new items. The process saves around 70 percent of the energy and carbon dioxide emissions that would be used making clothing from virgin polyester.

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, www.rbrc.org, has 30,000 collection sites nationwide. Just enter your zip code to find a location where you can drop off rechargeable batteries from a wide variety of products and cell phones.

Staples, www.staples.com, offers every-day in-store electronics and printer cartridge recycling.

The 3Rs don’t stop at home. Hospitals, schools, and the other institutions we visit generate vast amounts of waste. Here are some organizations that are tackling the issue:

Recyclemania, www.recyclemania.org, is an annual recycling competition between colleges and universities that aims to reduce waste generated on campuses and raise awareness. Schools compete to see who can collect the most recyclables per capita, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate over a 10-week period.

Healthcare Without Harm, www.noharm.org, is an international coalition of organizations working to reduce pollution in the Healthcare Industry.

So, get active, get started and incorporate the 3Rs into your daily lives.

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment or call me, toll-free, at 1-800-231-0622.

For information on Mammoth Lakes real estate, please log onto my real estate website at www.easternsierraproperties.com.