It is possible to create a very long list of environmental problems faced by the world. Solving these major issues requires the cooperation of different countries and their respective governments to adopt sustainable and eco-friendly practices. However, within communities, individuals have the power to contribute towards this effort by adopting the 3 R’s to save our environment and undertaking other basic actions.

Reduce

The first of the 3 R’s is to reduce waste. It also encompasses the idea of decreasing what is produced and therefore the amount that is subsequently used and consumed. In your own home, one way to achieve this is by amalgamating the functions of your household appliances and goods. For example, using only your range and microwave oven to heat food reduces the need for other appliances such as a toaster oven and electric grill. By doing this, you also reduce the amount of packaging that is created and has to be thrown out, when these other appliances are purchased.

Another way to reduce production and consumption of goods is to keep using household items for as long as you can or buy goods that last longer by paying a little more for them at the store, instead of buying new items before your old ones are worn out. If things wear out, ask yourself if you need it before going out to buy a replacement for it. Nevertheless, anyway that you can reduce wastage will lead to a decrease in the necessity to reuse and recycle.

Reuse

You can cut down on the number of goods that enters your home. However, when you do have to shop for items, consider buying them second-hand at thrift, antique and consignment stores or through garage sales. Alternatively, taking old or worn-out articles you already have on hand and repairing or repurposing them are also constructive options in reusing items.

Saving and scavenging what you have around your house is the first step in reusing materials, but you can also take it to the next level by purchasing or finding sources of used goods and materials from stores and your neighbours and community members in social media forums for your repairs and repurposing and construction projects. Items that can be reused include glass and ceramic containers, wood, paper products, craft supplies, electronic parts, clothing and books. Again, the aim of performing these actions, as always, is to keep items from ending up in the landfill.

Recycle

The act of recycling involves converting something back to its raw state and then reconstructing it into a new object. Not all things you have in your possession will be reused by you. In this case, recycling these items whenever possible is the best solution for them to stay out of the landfill. Recycling depots in most communities will take a variety of items and turn them into something reusable that they can be sold or donated back to the community.

The types of materials and items which can be recycled include the same ones that you can reuse in your own home. When purchasing goods, attempt to buy items and materials, including the packaging they come in, which can be recycled when you no longer need them or when they break or wear out. Food packaging is a major source of waste. To encourage consumers to recycle food packaging and containers, recycling fees are charged at the point of purchase. To recover the fee, the packages and containers for food and beverages must be taken to recycling depots. From there, the recycled items are sent to commercial facilities to be transformed into new items.

In many urban communities, bin recycling programs run by municipalities facilitate household recycling. Each home is provided with bins for recycling organic and non-organic materials. Scheduled pickup of the materials at each home encourages homeowners to recycle and reduce food, organic and other recyclable waste. To further supplement the recycling of organic waste, many homeowners are choosing to compost their organic waste and turn it into the soil for use in their gardens.

Eat Responsibly

Besides performing the 3 R’s, individuals can make a positive impact on the environment by changing their eating habits. Byproducts of traditional agricultural practices are a major cause of land, soil and atmospheric pollution. Therefore, by choosing to buy from livestock, grain and produce growers who adopt sustainable and eco-friendly practices, direct damage to the land and soil can be lessened and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.

One way in which you can reduce the negative effects of these environmental factors is to reduce the consumption of animal products. When purchasing animal or plant-based products, make choices based on good production practices, such as buying more organic, non-GMO products, and grass-fed animal products.

Shop Locally

When making food and non-food purchases, it is always a good practice to shop locally. Not only are you supporting the local economy and increasing sustainability within the community, but you are also diminishing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for more transportation carriers that have to be utilized over longer distances to get products to far-away destinations.

Providing local support for farmers by purchasing seasonal produce, helps preserve natural areas for native wildlife and prevents land from being used for other purposes such as industrial or commercial activities, which might further increase pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Offsetting Your Carbon Footprint

One final thing of importance is to reduce your carbon footprint, which is an individual’s trail of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from all actions performed through daily activities. To achieve this, you can be a part of positive collective changes to our environment as stated in https://www.trvst.world/, however, following the 3 R’s is an important start. Other proactive things you can do to offset your footprint is by taking public transit or your bike, rather than using your motor vehicle, drying your clothes on a line, and opting to avoid using one-time disposable plastic and paper products.

Wasting less water can be carried out by taking shorter showers, flushing the toilet fewer times and using a rain barrel to water outdoor plants. Switching to eco-friendly cleaning products at home and using green energy sources to power your home can also decrease your carbon footprint.

Although many more changes can be made to benefit the environment, individuals can start making a personal impact on a local level by taking some of these fundamental steps. The cumulative results of actions taken by each of us can create a noticeable effect in improving the living conditions on our planet.