Is Recycling Only About the Environment?

Recycling is a major part of living a more eco friendly lifestyle. It’s a part many people focus on, and something that has become easier to do in many communities. Some may only offer recycling for the basics, such as metal, glass and paper, while others accept a wide range of plastics as well.

But recycling isn’t all about the environment. It has other benefits, depending on what’s being recycled.

Manufacturing Can Benefit

Some metals are much cheaper to recycle than they are to use fresh from the mine. The EPA says recycling aluminum saves 92% of the energy it takes to process it from bauxite ore.   The demand for aluminum is high, as it is used in common products such as soda cans or siding on houses.

Recycling Creates Jobs

If you want a recycling program, people are going to have to work at the recycling center. That’s jobs for people getting products ready for recycling, transporting recyclable and recycled materials and so forth.

Recycling takes more people to do the work than similar jobs at landfills. Despite that, many kinds of recycling are economically feasible enough that this still saves money over dumping it all in the landfill.

Recycling Saves Money

Communities have realized that it’s worthwhile to have recycling available. Businesses have realized that it’s worth their time to recycle. There’s a good reason for that. They save money.

A good recycling program costs less than many other waste disposal options. The products being recycled can be sold, reducing the cost of the recycling program.

Landfills Benefit

Recycling can’t do away with landfills, but it can slow down the rate at which they are filled. Some areas of the United States are facing a shortage of available space for landfills. Other areas aren’t facing such problems, but it doesn’t hurt to slow down how fast we fill up landfills.

If local landfills are full, then states have to send their garbage elsewhere, increasing the costs to consumers. That’s significant to people living in areas where they have to send their garbage away.

Remember the Other Two Rs

Recycling has a lot of benefits, both to the environment and economically, but it’s not the only thing you should be considering. It’s more important to reduce your consumption and to reuse products when possible. These two actions are the most beneficial to the environment, and are pretty good for your personal finances as well.

How to Jumpstart Your Eco Friendly Lifestyle

Making the initial changes to a more eco friendly lifestyle may not be the hardest part of your journey to be more green, but it’s often one of the most intimidating. There are so many options that it’s really hard at times to know just where to begin.

Make a List and Prioritize

If you’re ready to be eco friendly, you probably have some idea as to what changes you would like to make in your lifestyle. You just don’t always know which to make first. Some steps may seem to be too big to do right away while others may feel too small to make a real difference.

This list should be the things you think you want to do. You may not be able to make all of these changes right away; that’s why you prioritize them.

You can also assign a cost to the various steps. If some will take a bite out of your budget, you should plan for that. But remember that many eco decisions will save you money. These are great for getting started.

Some simple steps are:

1. Drive less.
2. Change to CFL or LED light bulbs.
3. Eat less meat.
4. Buy a programmable thermostat.
5. Check out local thrift stores.
6. Buy a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic.
7. Review what can easily be recycled in your community.

These aren’t particularly expensive for the most part. Switching to LED bulbs can be expensive as they aren’t that common yet, but even those should pay for themselves in time.

For many of us, more expensive options such as installing solar panels may not be possible right away. If that’s what you want to do and you can afford it, go for it! But if it’s not in the budget, be realistic enough to admit that it’s not time for you to do that yet.

How Fast Should You Make Changes?

It’s tempting to just plunge in and make all the changes you know you should make right away. It’s great if you can manage it, but most people will have a lot of trouble that.

That’s fine. None of us are perfect.

Start with some simple changes, and add to them over time. I won’t say to go really slowly, but make changes at a rate where you can accept the new habits. Otherwise it’s far too easy to slide back into bad habits.

Some changes you’ll be amazed at how comfortable they are. Others will challenge your resolve. We’re all human and there are things we all want in life. Choosing a slightly different lifestyle isn’t always going to be easy. You will find that it gets better with time and you’ll find new ways to enjoy yourself and what you’re doing. A more eco friendly lifestyle is worth the effort.

What About Skeptics?

Unless you’re extremely lucky, you’re going to have some skeptical people in your life who don’t see the need for such changes. Some don’t believe in protecting the environment because they don’t believe in climate change while others don’t think they or you can make a difference.

Talk to them as you find appropriate. Some people are really great for having spirited, respectful arguments with. Others respect only their own opinions and aren’t worth the trouble. Still others may find what you’re doing interesting and decide to give it a try themselves.

Remember that when you’re talking about living an eco friendly lifestyle that you do not need to focus just on climate change. Talk about pollution in general. Talk about ocean acidification. Talk about decreasing fresh water supplies in many communities. These are areas that give a different angle to the usual environmental arguments many skeptics are used to.

What Should You Teach Your Children About Climate Change?

As a mother concerned about how the climate of our planet is changing, sometimes it’s hard to decide just what to tell my kids about it. There’s a lot to explain, and it changes as kids grow older. I don’t want to scare them, but I don’t want them casually wasting things either.

What do you tell children about climate change?

Younger Children

When children are really young, I don’t think explaining climate change as such is effective. What is effective is to teach them to not waste food or other items. They can start to learn about recycling.

Young children are usually great about repurposing things you might otherwise throw into the trash. So many things can be parts of various art projects. Sometimes it’s hard to balance keeping things for future projects with keeping clutter out of your home. Once kids get the idea, they’ll often try to keep just about everything you’ll let them.

Kids in Elementary School

Elementary school is a good time to start getting a bit more into the details of why you want your children to recycle and not waste. You can discuss what littering and pollution in general do to the environment, and how your lifestyle can help.

Be aware of what’s being taught at this stage at your child’s school. It may or may not agree with what you want your children to learn about climate change.

I find it important for my children to understand that humans are most likely a factor in global climate change. I don’t mind explaining that some people disagree, because that’s something they’re going to hear at some point. Better they get used to hearing about why we believe as we do than to be confronted with a different perspective they don’t know how to handle.

You should also see what your local schools are doing to reduce waste at their locations. Do they have recycling bins? Do they have a gardening program for the kids? Are they offering information to parents online or by email rather than printing every notice out?

Middle School on Up

The older kids get, the more you can teach them about climate change, individual action and volunteering to make more of a difference.

This is a good time to really get into why you make the shopping choices you do. If your kids are really interested you may have covered this topic at a younger age, but as they get older start talking to them about why you shop where you do. Tell them what’s good about going to thrift stores, especially when they start resisting. Come up with a plan to balance their needs for a particular look with environmental considerations.

Kids in this age group are eligible for many kinds of volunteer opportunities. They don’t have to go for environmental causes in particular; it’s just good to get them used to the idea that helping others is something they should do.

If you raise your children to consider the environment, it will come more naturally to them. They may rebel against it at times, but if you pay attention to their concerns and needs you can find the balance that will help them appreciate all they can contribute to making the world a better place.

I Love These Boxes My Daughter’s Homeschool Books Came In

My daughter’s school supplies from k12.com came today. It was a lot of fun checking out what we got from them. But one of the most interesting parts was looking at the insides of the top flaps.

That’s just one of the flaps. It’s a little hard to read, but all four flaps give ideas on how you can reuse the box around the house, as a toy and more. It’s really a great way for them to encourage the reuse of the box.

I have to say the supplies look really great too. It’s going to be a great school year.

Keeping Back to School Eco Friendly

It’s time to start thinking about the start of the school year. In my area it’s coming up fast, less than a month away.

Now is the time that stores start offering school supplies in earnest and parents respond. Much of it cannot be helped, as schools often provide lists of supplies your children will need for the classroom. Then there are clothes, backpacks and so forth that need to be ready for school.

It can be pretty bad from an environmental perspective. So many things to buy. So many choices that really aren’t doing the environment any favors.

Review What You Have

Take a good look at the start of each school year and see what you have that can be reused or continue to be used.

If you buy good quality, there’s a good chance that your kids’ backpacks will last more than one school year. Poorly made ones may struggle. Not to mention that some kids are just plain hard on their stuff. Just really think before buying a backpack if you already have one that will work.

I suggest avoiding backpacks with favorite characters if possible. These can be outgrown because your child doesn’t like a particular show anymore or becomes aware that the other kids don’t like that show. It can be embarrassing to own the wrong backpack at times like that.

If your child brings lunch to school, take a look at what you have. Make sure your bag is lead and BPA free and in good enough condition. Make sure you have good quality reusable containers. I love my daughter’s Klean Kanteen, and it will last for years.

Don’t forget their clothes. Many outfits will be outgrown over the summer, so see what you need to buy to start things off, but remember that the weather will be hot for a while yet in many areas. Take advantage of thrift store shopping and do consider the colder weather for your area if you see appropriate clothes available.

Find Out What You Will Need

You may not need to buy a lot of school supplies. Many schools provide lists of things they will need for the classrooms while others don’t expect you to provide anything. Buy environmentally friendly options when possible.

Amazon has a green office supplies section that may be an easy way to handle this shopping.

Plan on Walking, Biking or Busing to School

Depending on how far you live from your children’s school, plan on having them walk, bike or take the bus there. Don’t join the masses crowding in to drop the kids off by car if you can help it.

If you’re close enough, you can also encourage your fellow parents to have their kids walk to school. Some do a walking school bus where one parent leads a group of kids to pick up the various kids and walk them all to school together. It’s healthy for all concerned and takes care of a lot of the safety concerns many parents have.

Plan Healthy Lunches

The easiest way to provide your kids with a healthy lunch at school is to use leftovers from the previous night that don’t need to be reheated. This won’t work every day.

If you want to provide warm food, get a Thermos or other insulated food jar for your kids to use.

Don’t buy the prepackaged lunches or snack size bags of chips or crackers. You can put appropriate amounts into your reusable containers quite easily.