Living a Sustainable Lifestyle with the 7 R’s.
Are you aware that by making small changes in our daily lives, we can all contribute to making the world a more sustainable place for us now and for the future generations? Last week, we spoke of ways to improve your health and the earth this Earth Month, this week we will dig a little deeper into one of the solutions, the 6 R’s of sustainability. We have added a 7th one because we felt it is necessary for you understand the big picture on how these R’s can play an immense part in your life and improving our planet, which should matter to you as long as you live on it.
Taking A Closer Look @ the R’s of Sustainability
Taking a closer look at the 7Rs principles of sustainability and paying close attention to the order they are listed in really do matter, especially if you are just starting out and want to do some good quickly regarding becoming more conscious of the actions that you take that impact the earth every day. Don't just read the 7 Rs, but make sure you comprehend what they each entail so that you can make better decisions as much as possible.
7 Rs of Sustainability
1. Rethink – Stop, pause, and seriously think…Do you really need that thing? What thing you may say? That thing you are about to purchase, do you need that plastic bag it may come in? Do you need all that packaging? Do you even need what it is that you may be enticed by the color of it and not the actual product?
2. Refuse - Can you say no? Will you say no? If yes, start to say “NO” to walking less and sitting more, plastic straws, bags, bottles, packaging and “Yes” to more to things that matter to your health and planet. You can decide to walk more instead of driving or taking a cab and using more compostable and reusable goods; especially when you have a choice. Hope you get the gist because you have the power to change your world with the everyday actions you take and your voice. If you did not know, every dollar you spend is an action and a voice; you are spending on what matters to you. Does your health and the planet matter to you?
3. Reduce – how do you feel about the plastic or artificial products you buy? Do you feel you can do better? Become a more conscious shopper and only buy things that are beneficial to the environment and your health.
a. Consider reducing meat, it offers plenty of problems for both the environment and health of this country.
b. Reduce the use of single use items like plastics. Visit our store to pick up some bamboo utensils so that you can leave the plastic ones alone for good.
c. Monitor your usage of electricity and water; find ways to utilize less energy. Consider getting more natural light by opening the blinds or curtains and fixing water leaks and cutting off faucet water when not in use. Shorter showers would be beneficial in helping you to be a more sustainable human too; it will not only help your water bill if you pay one; it will also be helpful with the energy bill too.
4. Reuse – Get all the use you can out of that phone, car, plates, shoes, and clothes before throwing them away. Hey, donate what you want. Your mess can surely be someone else’s treasure. Have a garage or tag sale and you will surely see. Don’t forget to purchase strong bottles like a Klean Kanteen or Eco-Vessel to refill your water bottles instead of using plastic water bottles.
5. Repair – Fix what may be broken. Provide a new lease on life with that torn shirt, broken fridge, phone, toilet seat, etc. If your phone screen is cracked, you can get it fixed for far less than purchasing a new product. You do not need to keep up with anyone to be cool, plus you will save lots of money and come out in the positive vs those who are trying to keep up with others they don’t even know. So, hold off and try DIY before heading to store or dumping transformational items in the trash where someone can take your goods for their use of which can make them thousands all because you did not have a bigger vision to repair.
6. Recycle – Make sure to separate products that must be discarded into the correct recycling bins. Often when you place items in recycling bins, they are hauled off to a place that will break them down to their original form. Upcycling is real and gives one an opportunity to be super creative.
7. Rot – Signifies that it is best to partake in composting organic waste such as scraps from food and yard waste instead of sending them to the landfills or oceans. Composting may help reduce methane emissions from landfills and create nutrient rich soil for agriculture and gardens. You can save your old fruit and vegetable peels from say oranges, bananas or even apples and their core and place them in a compost bed, can, where you can begin to grow new things like more fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc. It is a natural way of recycling foods.
Conclusion
Now, the next time you decide to purchase an item, we ask that you become more conscious. The process is to stop, pause, and think before spending a dollar on anything. This action alone will make you a much more conscious shopper who will only buy the things they need, will actually use, and hopefully make a difference in this world and your health. Simply speaking or thinking out loud, if need be, before your next purchase will be a helpful start to being a more mindful shopper who cares about living in a sustainable world that helps all that encompass it thrive as best as they can. One last thing, consider cutting down on your consumption of meat if you eat, it will help your health and the planet on so many levels; won’t you give it a try to be your own witness.
Pondering Questions:
Which Rs resonates with you the most?
How so?