My first task in going green(er) is to take a look around me. I know I am not going to be the next zero waste environmental hero. But I can improve. I am starting with whittling down my plastic use. Man, it’s everywhere! 
I took some of the items from my bathroom that are made or packaged with plastic. Wow! That is a lot of plastic. Also, the irony of storing my plastic bottles in a plastic container did not escape me. Don’t judge.
The next thing I realize is that the item I replace the plastic with has to be a better alternative than the current item. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? It did to me too. Until I planned to replace my small plastic soap dispenser with a reusable soap dispenser. And how was I going to fill that new eco-friendly dispenser? With a much larger plastic bottle of soap. Newbie mistake.
Last eco-realization of the day: I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m not an expert. I’m more of a tryer-outer. Lucky for me, (and you), there are experts available on every green subject imaginable. So I will be getting my inspiration and information from them. I will share websites, books, and ideas I find along the way.
My first stop is goingzerowaste.com, a website/blog written by a lovely young woman named Kathryn. The fact that she has a picture of a beautiful white German Shepherd under the heading, “Meet the Fam”, only endears her to me more. I downloaded her free Zerowaste e-book.
Kathryn’s rules are simple.
- Refuse – Don’t buy things you don’t need. There is no waste with no product.
- Reduce – The less you have, the less you waste.
- Reuse – Here is where she and I diverge. I am not using a hankerchief. Eeww.
- Rot – We will come back to the composting idea later. This is my first day. Baby steps, people.
- Recycle
Kathryn ends with a great statement. “Being conscious is half the battle.”
I propose two new Rs. Repair and resell.
Repairing is the most obvious. It keeps something in use for longer, especially if it’s something you use and like.
Reselling something keeps it out of the landfill(thrift stores discard a lot of things as well). It’s also an important aspect of the economy. If more people sold their things when they’re done with it, it’d create more options for those buying used. I know I tend to check online first. 😅
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I love those Rs! Thank you. One of the things I’m most looking forward to as I blog about going green is hearing other people’s ideas. I have never sold anything to a thrift store. But we have a shed at our dump where people can leave things they no longer want. I have dropped off and picked up there! As they say, “one woman’s trash is another’s treasure.”
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True true! I’m seeking a particular treasure right now, haha 🤣 no luck finding shoes bridesmaid appropriate for my friend’s wedding.
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We have a ton of plastic items too! I think the most important thing is to use up those items so they don’t go to waste then replace them with reusables!
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I agree. I don’t want to just toss those in the recycling bin. But I will make other choices going forward.
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