I think by now most people are able to recite the 3 Rs: Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse. Most of the school children I’ve worked with believe that recycle is the most important “r”. However, I truly believe that we must REDUCE the amount of “stuff” that we think we need.
George Carlin did a funny comedy routine about “stuff”, and how we need to get a bigger place to put all of our “stuff”. Before going and buying more, which is the American way, perhaps we can think about what we can do without?!
One of the greatest ways of feeling like you’re getting new “stuff” without creating a need to produce new “stuff” is to use Craig’s List, or Freecycle. Both of these free services keep tons of “stuff” out of landfills, AND SAVE RESOURCES because we are reusing a product that has already been created.
Do you want a new look in your house? Why not sell your things and or trade using Craig’s list. You’ll have “new” stuff, but it won’t contribute to the depletion of the environment!
So, remember, we don’t NEED a lot of stuff – think before you buy something that’s essentially depleting the limited resources of our planet! Although we don’t sell used bags, we are still doing our best to limit the manufacturing of excess plastic bags by encouraging the use of reusable bags. Once you have these, they will last for years. Think of all the plastic bags you will NOT have used! Less STUFF in the landfills!