| Clean up your lifestyle Most of us are aware of the dismal state of our natural environment and natural resources. The three r's movement of the late seventies and eighties was the height of the environmental movement in north america and has slowly faded out of the public consciousness since then. Though we have taken some very positive steps, we can no longer pretend that our problems are solved. Why not face the realities of our throw-away society and deal with them. The solutions are out there, ready for implementation. Governments and Buisnesses There are many businesses and local/national governments who are already dedicated to reducing waste by means of the three R's. This past earth day, Target Zero Canada introduced its innitiative to get buisinesses and governments to follow the lead of nations like New Zealand/Australia and businesses like Toyota Japan in creating a sustainable lifestyle for us all by producing less waste and introducing recycling and composting plans to create almost no physical waste. Another thing to keep an eye on is the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg August 24th to Sept 4th 2002. Here's the UN Summit site so you can keep yourself updated. Individuals and Households Do you ever stop to think about where your garbage is going? There are alternatives to throwing all your household waste into landfills and incinerators and alternatives to creating so much waste in the first place (check out the sustainable shoping guide). Here are some ideas to make your home environmentally sustainable. REDUCE WASTE Household waste can often be reduced simply by using, reusing and revamping what you already own. Furniture: Don't be afraid to turn something old into something better! A little bit of sandpaper/paint/glue/hardware goes a long way. Sustainable can still be beautiful. And for those of you in urban areas, where bins full of treasure abound, there is always, dumpster diving. It may sound slightly dangerous and an ickle bit gross, but for those of us with a design streak and or restrictive budget its a way of life. Clothing: If something is beyond repair, chop it up! Used textiles can be woven into rugs, made into quilts, used for rags as an ecological alternative to paper towels, mulched and used for insulation and stuffing and even cut into poo-rags for those of us who have a problem wiping our bottoms with old growth forrests. If its not beyond repair, consider dying it, shortening/lengthening it, mending it, embelishing it with fabric trim or old costume jewlery or simply restyling it. Food: Buy in bulk when possible, its cheaper and cuts down on packaging. Encourage your bulk food store to sell reusable containers in various sizes you can use when you shop. Often if you bring your own containers you are overcharged for weight. Growing your own food is a pretty ambitious project, however spices and some species of leaf lettuce and some fruit do well indoors year round and having plants indoors also helps to clean the air in your environment. Enegry and resources: Often the energy we use is created by burning natural resources. Until north america converts to renewable energy sources and more efficent water treatment we must conserve these resources and cut down our use of them. We have the means of implementing sustainable energy on a global/national/local scale voice your opinions and make it happen. Another option is off the grid living, this means that your home fucntions independantly of municipal resources by producing your own energy, treating your own water and managing your own waste. Living off the grid is a very realistic proposition. Now that we have the resources and methods to do it. There are many degrees of off the grid living from catching and using rain water, right down to installing a "private swamp" for water recycling. Check out your options, usually there is a large one time cost which can seem daunting but eventually the installations pay for themselves. Gifts: Its the thought that counts right? Then why not put a lot of thought into your gifts and make them memorable and usefull without dropping any cash. There are so many ways to make someone feel special the least of which involves our currency. Why not cultivate post-materialism in your frenids and family by supporting buy nothing day and expand that into a buy nothing christmas! Guarunteed to be your best christmas ever! Gift idea database for hard gifing cases COMING SOON! COMPOST Anyone with a backyard or balcony can compost. Composting provides you with amazing soil for spring planting and even for houseplants. Food scraps don't usually make up a large proportion of household waste, however the more garbage you produce the more plastic bags are dumped into our backyards. Remember plastic bags will NEVER break down in landfills. |
| Waste Management a little thought can do a lot |