You may have heard about the three “Rs” in green living. These are easy to remember guides to practicing responsible consuming. These three points are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Reduce means to consume less and produce less waste. Reuse means to get the most out of something, rather than discarding it and replacing it with something new. Recycle means you either repurpose something old that you don’t need into something new that you do need, or to recycle that product so it can be made into something new by someone else.
There is a new “R” to add to our list of the Rs in green living. This R is Reject.
What is Reject? Rejecting is to refuse (another R) or do without excess in your life. One of the best ways to practice the reject guideline is to reject excess packaging at the store. By bringing your own cloth bags when you shop or not asking for a bag when you have a few small items that you can easily carry in your hands is one way to reject. You can also reject products that themselves come with excess packaging.
Buying a bottle of juice and using refillable bottles instead of buying individual juice pouches is one way to reject. For that matter, using a reusable water bottle instead of purchasing bottles of water is another way to practice this new R of green living.
Another way to reject is to simply and really examine your needs and wants before you make a purchase. Can you reject that big screen television or a second or third car? Can you reject getting new clothes every year or using chemical cleaners? Think about all of the things you tend to consume in a day, a week or a month. What things can you reject to make the world a better place?
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