eco principles

What is reduce, reuse, recycle?

Reduce - is about reducing your consumption of resources - it can be utilities such as water, gas, electricity or more consumable goods such as packaging, furniture, clothing, food.  Y  Be efficient with what you use.  Can you use less?  Buy from well-managed sources. You don't have to live a frugal life, just a more efficient and thoughtful one.

Reuse - refers to the sustainable methods by which the products we consume are made.  They should be from well-managed sources that are naturally replenished.  Reuse can also refer to products that can be reappropriated; giving something a new lease on life such as painting an old piece of furniture, or reupholstering an old sofa. Exploring flea-markets and charity shops, giving items you don't or can't use to others, and prolonging the life cycle of anything are excellent ways to reuse products.  Keep anything you can out of the landfill.

Recycle - differs from "reuse" in that it refers to materials that are totally broken down - cardboard, glass, paper and plastics - and then are reassembled to create new products.  It is essential to make the most of what we have, as the earth does not have unlimited resources.  By recycling we can ensure that materials are not taken out of their useful lifecycle loop only to be thrown into the landfill or incinerated.  Everything can go somewhere, just take the time to think about it.