The Recycling Princess by urbanwoodswalker on Flickr
What an exciting time to celebrate Earth Day! Forty years ago, when the first Earth Day was officially celebrated, few people knew or even cared about the state of the earth. Even a decade ago, when I received my Environmental Science degree, I was often ridiculed for my views on being kinder to the earth. Today, more people are recognizing that to stay healthy and save money, we must find new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Reducing our consumption (and our waste) is the number one way to help the Earth and frankly, our own pocket books. By saving energy, buying less, driving less, and using less, we are conserving our natural resources and saving money at the same time. The next best way to reduce your footprint on the planet is to reuse.
Reusing items to save money and the earth is somewhat of a family tradition. My parents were frugal and aware of their impact on the environment. Our family found ways to throw less in the trash by finding new uses for items or reuse items when possible. Finally, when all else fails, recycle.
Recycling, although toted as an easy way to save the environment, is your last resort. Recycling costs money, increases carbon emissions and gas, uses chemicals to breakdown the material, and often has unwanted by-products. As technology finds new and cheaper ways to recycle, this option will increase in value, but will never surpass the need to reduce and reuse.
In honor of Earth Day, and in the name of saving money, I will be posting a new Eco-friendly and budget friendly tip each day this week. I can’t wait to share with you all the easy and budget friendly ways to celebrate Earth Day EVERYDAY. By taking care of the earth, we take care of ourselves and our children. Namaste.
