Aug
6
2007
6
2007
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
Filed under: Environmentalism, Green Living
Some thoughts I’ve had lately about these 3 little words.
REDUCE:
Reducing our consumption (and not just recycling after we consume) is one of the most important things we can do to make a difference. It takes self-control, but once you start to work on mastering your consumer-driven desires, it gets easier.
We’ve been living in the RV just over 2 weeks, and I am keenly aware of my obsession with reducing. If there is something that is not serving an immediate purpose, it’s gone. Nothing is safe! 
We’ve done two more downsizing sessions since we moved in. The first one consisted of mostly clothes and the second of household items. It feels so good to see open space in my cupboards and to have room to move my clothes around in the closet.
I am also very aware of what is coming into the RV. Even when we lived in the apartment, if I brought some new stuff home, I could just toss it in the closet and deal with it later. Now, I have to deal with it immediately, because if I put it on the couch, where will we sit?! I rarely even have the desire to go to stores, or garage sales anymore…because I know that if I end up finding something I “need”, I will have to come back and find a place for it. Which, when everything already has a place and there is not a lot of empty space, is a little difficult. So I am content to make do with what I already have and when a need arises, I am better able to determine if it is truly a need.
REUSE:
I love Klean Kanteens. We all have our own and we use them everyday, all day. In fact, most of the time, we don’t even use cups at meals…just our water bottles! Because we can just re-fill over and over without washing, it reduces the number of dishes. This is a good thing. I take it with me everywhere and I will fill it up at random drinking fountains and in public restrooms. When we go to somewhere to eat…for example, Subway, I take it and fill it up with their water instead of taking their disposable cup.
Bottled water is super popular among RV’ers because many people don’t trust their tank water. We have a Pur water filter on the faucet and as long as we filled up our tank from a tested source…we drink it. But if you have access to safe filtered tap water at home and on the town…drink it! Well, unless you live in Iowa which probably has the most contaminated water in the nation from all of the pig farms (check out this map!). The tap water/bottled water scandals have been all over the news lately. Here are some interesting tidbits on the topic from Colin at No Impact Man.
There are many coffeeshops switching to biodegradable cups in an effort to be more earth-friendly. I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my favorite spots in Bozeman put out a recycling bin for all of their plastic cups. But even though it’s a step in the right direction…it doesn’t solve the problem…the waste is still there. On my last trip to the Ecopolitan in Minneapolis, I was excited to see that they were requiring the purchase of a glass jar when you bought a smoothie to-go. You had to pay $1 for the jar/cup and you could either keep it, or bring it back in for a credit. It’s ideas like this that need to stick…they may seem radical to the general public, but until we start to realize how much disposable junk we use everyday, the landfills will just continue to grow.
RECYCLE:
It’s been a little more difficult to recycle while traveling, because I’m never sure where the next drop-off site will be. But it’s working good so far. Whenever I am flattening a box or washing out a can to recycle…I am usually thinking “did I really need that in the first place?”. And the answer most often is no. Again, along the lines of REDUCING before even getting to this step, I want to buy products with less packaging, boxes, plastic, etc. on them. If you must buy something in plastic, try to remember to check the recycle number BEFORE you buy it. I’m always annoyed when I get something home and realize that it’s a #5 plastic, which is not recycled in a lot of areas.
I’m soooo far from perfect in all of these areas…but try hard to be mindful of my actions and how they effect others, and if I mess up…I just start fresh the next day.
What are some of your own thoughts about these 3 little words?
Posted by Sara @ 2:49 am | Leave a Comment
6
2007
What a great post Sara! As I am very new to this green thing I very much appreciate the wealth of info I get here on your blog. I am very much involved in the reduce phase of my journey. I am very overwhelmed by the possessions my family has obtained. I work each day to reduce the clutter in our home. I have been working on this for maybe two weeks now. I was planning a yard give away. I wanted to just give my things away to whoever needed them and take no money for them. However, I have just become aware of a lady that is a nurse in Haiti and runs a rescue center/clinic down there. They could really use some support. So my new idea is to just have a donation sale. People can just put a donation of whatever amount they can into a coffee can and then take whatever they need. The leftovers will go to Goodwill. Anyway, great post and keep up the good work!
6
2007
What a great idea Becky…I like it
6
2007
Hey Sara its Kate from SC! Iv’e been working on reducing our stuff this past couple of weeks and I just can’t get over how much stuff we keep in our lives! I was cleaning off this one shelf in my living room and I found my middle and high school yearbooks and I was thinking why am I keeping all these? But I wasn’t sure if I should get rid of all of them I think that there are five total.If you have a suggestion let me know! As far as reusing I have bought Sigg bottles for my kids and we take them everywhere no more buying drinks at the gas station which saves money. And as far as recycling we just started our compost pile this weekend and started some recycling bins I was having a hard time figuring out where to put the bins my laundry room is small so it was a challenge. Thanks so much for your site it is always inspiring to me. I often think of things I’ve read when I’m out shopping and it helps me make better decisions about what or what not to buy. I hope that we can meet if you come to SC I would love to be able to talk over a cup of coffee at our local coffee shop! Bye Love Kate
6
2007
I recently traveled to our local landfield with my husband to dump off some oil and three old T.V.s. There was nothing more eye opening to me than to see the ’semi-mountain’ as we drove towards this place. (Let me say that we were miles away from the actual landfield when I saw this ‘mountain’.) It was beautiful with lush green grass on top and no trees. Then, my husband informed me that all the trash from our little communtiy was under that lush green grass and that is why there are no trees. I was shocked to say the least. I had never been and to see all that waste that this one little area has produced. It was truly sickening.
6
2007
My first visit to your blog. It’s so inspiring… I love it!
I’ve been inching along with this same issue – just wrote a post about it on my blog as well. We’ve always gone green with some things but after watching the BBC Planet Earth series we were so inspired we are trying to take it up another notch. Once that’s mastered we hope we’ll take it up another notch. And so forth. We finally realized that the habit of one person and one family can make a difference.
6
2007
I heard that the landfill in our little town is nearly full and they are going to have to start shipping trash to a town 30 miles away. Uuugh.
On a happier note, our town offers curbside recycling, how convenient is that?!
Eeww. Iowa water and pig farms, now THAT’S gross.
6
2007
I stumbled onto your blog months ago. It’s been a source of joy for me as you are constantly challenging me to think differently. I love the Lord but grew up extremely ignorant regarding taking care of our environment. We have made several positive changes that I hope to blog about soon. Thanks for blogging your journey!
6
2007
Sara,
Just found your blog. I’m bookmarking it–good stuff!
I live in IOWA, and in one of the counties listed in the top 10 for factory farm pollution–yikes! I need to read some more about this.
I don’t eat any red meat, which is unpopular here, of course. I wonder if there are ways to encourage a reduction of meat consumption in an area where it’s the top moneymaker?
6
2007
I’ll bookmark your blog as I am always on the look out for ways to save money and live as enviromentally sound a life as possible.
My wife and I are even going to be building our dream home soon and have already considered environmental concerns. That is why we chose a certain type of non-traditional home.
http://www.formworksbuilding.com/
6
2007
Great post. I also wanted to thank you for the vegetarianism support! Today has been a great meat free day
6
2007
Reduce: Oddly enough, the first thing I think of is eating in. It not only saves money but it saves the Earth of all those take-home boxes!
Reuse: everything! This sometimes gets me into trouble because I hate to throw things away; I’d rather give them away and I look for specific needs so I know my old things will get used. Believe it or not, some charities are picky about what they accept and want china, rather than plastic, dishes, for example.
Recycle: Not sure if this counts as “reuse” or recycle but I’ve kind of been into restoring furniture recently. It takes a long time but it feels good to “save” something AND it’s a lot cheaper than buying new.
I love your thoughts about making mistakes. Thanks!
6
2007
What a great post, sara! I have a friend who is very prideful about how full her recycling containers are. I can’t help but think that while yes, its better than throwing that stuff in the trash, our goal should be to produce as little as possible in the way of trash AND recycling.
6
2007
We are moving from 1500 square feet to 900 square feet this month. I’m doing some major downsizing,and like you, I’m on a reducing binge! If I don’t use it, love it, or even really half like it, it is GONE baby.
My main problem areas come with recycling. Our community just does NOT offer the resources to recycle goods and it is hard to find places that will take recyclables. (paper, cardboard, etc) I guess it is one of the downsides of small town suburbia?
7
2007
I just stumbled onto your blog — and, you are right on! I was so inspired by your move from your home to the apartment…then, your move to the RV. I’m struggling with getting rid of “things” — because I think I might need them sometime in the future. But, I’m going for it — if I don’t LOVE it or really NEED it, it is gone! Thanks for the inspiration.
7
2007
I’d have to say I’m most into Reduce. This year, it has meant a journey into the world of wild edibles. No packaging required! (Though I do have some old plastic containers I’ve kept around to fill with my foraging efforts.)
Winter is harder to deal with, so I’m stocking up with dried and frozen produce and herbs from my garden and the farmer’s market. Like the cherries we just pitted and froze for Thanksgiving pie!
7
2007
Reduce: Trying not to bring anything into our home unless something else leaves. I have the hardest time with books. I finally said, “this many bookshelves and not one more.” It worked.
Recycle: We have to drive 20 minutes to the recycling center. I have decided not to recycle anymore. But don’t worry, I just don’t buy anything that I can’t reuse in some way. Buying in bulk is the greatest help in not having all those tins and jars.
Reuse: I store all our food in old glass pickle or mayo jars. We dehydrate the majority of our garden produce. I can store a year’s worth of soup carrots in 4 mayo jars! We love our Kleen Kanteens too. They are truly wonderful.
7
2007
Hi,
This is my first visit to your site too. The three Rs caught my attention. It’s has kinda become my mantra to recycle. I love to use recycled materials to create crafts. It’s so much fun and my supplies are nearly free! If there are any crocheters out there, come check out my free patterns at http:///www.myrecycledbags.com.
Thanks for sharing your valuable information in this post. It’s always so nice to read and learn ideas from others.
7
2007
Love your blog. I used to live in Montana!
8
2007
sara, i love your blog. i love your idea to travel lightly.
my husband and i are thinking of relocating (short term) from NC to Seattle, WA.
do you know anyone out that way?
8
2007
I LOVE reading your blog. You are so much further on your journey and I love to learn from you.
BTW…a stainless steel water container is on my shopping list. Why am I not surprised that I’ve learned about where to get it from you…
THANKS!
8
2007
We go for four little words – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – I guess the Refuse is kinda the same as reduce, but it feels good to be on the front line on the first R when you say ‘no, I won’t have that plastic bag’ or ‘no, I don’t buy disposable do dads’
There’s a nice rebelliousness about Refusal!
Love the blog.
8
2007
Yep, I am a rebel with a cause!
“Don’t even think about putting that tomato into plastic bag!” The people at the Farmers’ Market think I am a loon, but they are getting used to the fact that I won’t take the bag.
Kim
8
2007
I like the four Rs–starting with refuse. Refuse the plastic bag at any store. Reduce and reuse: we have been gifted reusable bags and I am able to knit/crochet/felt bags, too. Recycle: when we moved from Los Angeles (city) to a partly rural/suburban county still in SoCal we found that LA actually accepts more recylables than does our new community!
I think we all look for balance in our lives. When we reduce, reuse and recycle (in that order) we find that our lives are more in balance, too- less clutter in our houses, more time to pursue what is most important in our lives.
8
2007
Sara, your blog is wonderful! So encouraging and inspirational. Thanks for taking the time to post!
9
2007
Reduce and reuse: I only wash my hair once a week (so I use less water during my quickie showers). I only throw clothes in the dirty laundry if they are truly dirty or smelly. I use cloth diapers and napkins and try to remember to bring our SIGG water bottles everywhere. I try to buy very little ready-made food to save on packaging.
Recycle: I go through closets and drawers every few months and give away boxes of stuff. About twice a year we give away boxes of books we don’t need.
9
2007
Reduce and Reuse I think do so much good as they do not require further energy or resources as recycling does (although recycling is still important especially for non-renewable resources such as aluminum)
I no longer by tupperware anymore. So many things you buy in the supermarket can be re-used in this way, giving me a way to use leftovers and further reduce my consumption. I also never buy bottled water or soda of any kind and just get one sturdy re-usable nalgene bottle. A veggie garden goes a long way in reducing our impact too…as long as you don’t mind eating zuccini for two months straight
(the stuff grows like crazy and I am over-run!)Also a vegan to further reduce my impact. Breastfeeding is also a great way to reduce you and your child’s impact too!
9
2007
Great Post! I was just wondering how living in the RV has changed your eating habits or has it at all?
9
2007
It just seems to me that you would also buy the bare essentials while shopping for food as well.
I try to buy more organic but I dont know where to start. What Items do you have to have in your cubboard to cook at all times? Do you have any fast fix foods?
I would like to stock my cubboard with healthy stuff and donate all the junk that I have. This would be a great post idea for you….. and helpful to many
10
2007
I enjoyed the post.I have also gotten to the point that I try to avoid garage sales and other places that I could find good deals unless I know there is something I truly need. I wrote a blog with the exact same title a couple of weeks ago.
11
2007
Hey Sara-
Funny, these three words have been rattling around in my brain lately as we’ve moved to a new country and are virtually starting over. I’m finding that I can live quite happily with much less than I ever had before (much of which was gifts or inherited junk which took over my home and life). Reducing isn’t so necessary when you’re starting over like we are.
Nonetheless, with three kids, toys can accumulate. One great way to “reduce” or at least “maintain” your toy box is to (1) always rotate toys rather than having them all out at the same time… thus your kids are getting “new” toys that aren’t actually new at all… they’ve just been hidden for 2-6 months!
Another way to deal with the onslaught of gifts and toys from parties and holidays is to have a policy that whenever one toy is received, one similar-sized toy has to be given away.
Additionally, I wanted to let you know that whenever you get the chance, you’ve got an award to “pick up” over at my blog! So come on over and see me!
Jess @ Making Home
http://www.makinghome.blogspot.com
11
2007
I am just glad to know that I am not the only one who goes through a complete thought process over nearly everything I bring into the house. Some members of my family think I’m crazy when it comes to this stuff, but I can’t help it! One example: I needed fr. My process goes like this: I’m at the grocery store and I need butter for popcorn. They do not have organic butter and I don’t want the hormones. But I don’t want margarine either. Also, I want sticks and not the plastic tub. The kids are at home waiting with the guests and the health food store is closed.
I figured something out, but you see what I go through!
Like Jess, above, I’ve got an award for you as well, so stop by sometime if you’d like to play along!
http://golightlyplace.blogspot.com
12
2007
Great blog, Sister Sara! Thought provoking & inspirational. I’ve read most of it and look forward to reading more of your RV adventures.
Although I’m nearly a year into fulltiming in my RV, I still have quite a bit of stuff stored at my sibling’s homes. You’ve nudged me to start working on “reduce” again.
“Reuse”
Have you considered a stainless steel mug for your coffee? Some coffee shops even give you a discount if you bring your own mug. I have been reusing my mug for many years. I do give it and my water bottle a quick rinse each night to prevent bacteria from growing.
I also reuse paper grocery bags. Unless you get them wet, they can last quite a long time…years even. I’ve noted your ideas on cloth bags, but I have enough paper bags to last me many years. I’ll switch to cloth when I run out.
On the subject of water in the RV, I will be upgrading my filtration system to:
1. a better external filter to take care of water coming into my holding tank.
2. a better internal filter for drinking/cooking/brushing teeth water. I’m actually considering a manual pump filter for this, but that probably isn’t an option for your family of 3.
I have links to useful websites & products, but I’m not sure I should post them here without your approval. I would respectfully suggest that your PUR filter probably isn’t good enough. Unfortunately, none of the water filters are ultimately reusable or recyclable.
Andrew
15
2007
heh, I live in Iowa! I can’t believe we are number 1 state on that website, WOW! I never knew! We do drink tap water, any suggestions to make it healthier for us? Would a filter suffice? Should we go to water in a jug? I don’t want to be wasteful, we *heart* our Klean Kanteen’s but I don’t want to be drinking pesticides, while we eat our organic produce.
19
2007
Lynds,for most of my life I drank tap water (No. Calif, where the tap water is supposedly good). However, after researching how to handle water while living in an RV, I learned enough to “convert” me to using a water filter for drinking water. Google “water filter” and research the links on the 1st two pages. Do the same for the 1st page of “rv water filter”. You should be able to separate the hype companies from the honest ones. There will be hours of reading material that will help you decide which filter system best fits your needs. Note that more expensive does not equal a better system. I spent less than $100 for a countertop system for my parents that included the first filter. The filter (the heart of any system) will need to be changed annually and costs about $50. That’s only slightly more expensive than the Brita filters they were using, but will give them much cleaner water. That’s also less than what you would spend on bottled (jug?) water. As Sara has already pointed out, bottled water is not problem-free and they almost always come in plastic containers.
22
2007
I must say this is a fresh new take on the old “reduce, reuse, recycle” phrase, and reading this made me reflect on how wasteful I was. Oftentimes, we miss the point that these three concepts are three separate real things we can do in real life. We usually bunch them up together as one phrase and forget that we can apply them to everyday occurrences, not just for semi-special occasions or just whenever we remember them. We need more good essays such as this one writing about how the three R’s actually work not in general but specific to how each of us live. Great post!
2
2007
Great post! I read an article recently that said (I am paraphrasing) that we focus too much on just the recycle portion and not enough on the reduction and reuse of our worldly possessions. I think you hit the nail on the head and exemplified the proper approach to Reduce.Reuse.Recycle. The Three R’s should have a equally symbiotic relationship.
20
2007
I’d love to hear more of your ideas about recycling on the road. My husband and I spent a few weeks on board our sailboat this summer (and are hoping to continue increasing the amount of time we can devote to this) and one of the biggest problems I found was trash. We don’t have refrigeration, so more of our food is canned or packaged than when we are on land (in the beautiful Willamette valley with farmers everywhere). But I just end up wincing and tossing it (in the garbage, that is) since there isn’t space to store it until we get home (our boat is the approximate equivalent of a 16 foot trailer…that gets pointy at the end…and there are 4 of us aboard) or places to recycle within walking distance.
This will become more problematic as we are on board for longer periods.
Any suggestions?
4
2010
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11
2010
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14
2010
Great…Now I have to read your other posts. That means my afternoon productivity is shot…Thanks a lot. Nice post.