Living a Green or Eco-Friendly lifestyle means following the five Rs of Green. The first three Rs, in order or importance are:
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
The next two stand for Renewable Resources. Whenever repairing, replacing or maintaining something around the home, try to utilize Renewable Resources instead of old-school Carbon.
Here we are in the holidays. There are goodies on every desk and special offers in every other email. Our diets are out the window and our wallets have come unlatched. What are some ways we can live the 5 Rs and still celebrate the season?
There’s nothing wrong with a little indulgence. Exercise your will by saying No to the third glass of wine and the eleventh chocolate. There’s no need to do everything in twelves just because of the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. The key is moderation, not deprivation. You can go back on your healthy regime after the holidays. Personally, I look forward to baking cookies with my children. Their favourite is Nanaimo bars.
As to gift giving, it’s a perfect time to stimulate the economy and replace clothes which are holy in the non-religious sense. Slippers, pajamas, sweaters and mittens - these are all good and welcome. These are green gifts if you need them and they aren’t just filling up your closet with duplicates.
Following the first R in gift giving means recognizing a need and filling it in the most eco-friendly way you can. If your child needs a desk, check with your friends first to see if anyone has one to sell (Reuse). Reduce the clutter in someone else’s home and reduce our consumption of resources.
Reducing our impact on the environment is a gift we can share. If your loved one drinks from disposable water bottles, their perfect gift is a reusable, stainless steel water bottle that they can use all year. Although it seems counterintuitive, buying cheap gifts isn’t always the most frugal thing to do. Goods with quality construction are more likely to last and fill a need over the long term. This means less stuff in the landfill.
If you are buying larger-ticket items like appliances, consider their energy costs. Buy Energy Star for the kitchen and laundry. Buy Solar for the pool. Solar-Breeze is a solar-powered robotic pool cleaner that allows pool owners to reduce their energy consumption (and cost) by one-half to two-thirds. That’s a gift that keeps on giving: both to the pool owner and the environment!
Follow the five Rs of eco-friendly living and give the gift of green this Holiday Season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy Kwanzaa!
