From the Creation Care team ~ Remember the 3Rs? Reduce, Reuse and Recycle have been expanded to become a 7R guide to an eco-friendly lifestyle. Follow the 7Rs to care for our environment.
1. RETHINK: Step back and think about the type of consumer you want to be and what this means for the environment.
2. REFUSE: Think before you buy and be prepared to not buy at all. Green consumers place themselves at the start of the buy-and-use cycle. They buy less and buy products that do the least harm to the environment.
3. REDUCE: Buy less, buy products that have little or no packaging and that last a long time, borrow instead of buy, and compost. Items that are no longer needed or used are donated or sold.
4. REUSE: Upcycle instead of throwing away. Examples: glass jars can be used to store dry goods, cereal liner bags can be used to wrap food for storage, and mesh produce bags can be used as scrubbers.
5. REPAIR: Try to fix items before disposing of them. Before buying a product check to see that it’s repairable.
6. REGIFT: When you regift, you give someone a gift that you received from someone else. Don't feel guilty! Passing it on to someone who will enjoy it more than you is a good thing.
7. RECYCLE (Compost): Put things back into the waste stream to be used again for something else. Glass is used for roads, plastics are melted down to make new products, and the organic waste that we compost is used to fertilize our gardens.