The 3 R’s

When our children were young, we enrolled them in dance classes at Tapestry Dance Studio. The spring recital rolled around, and we prepared them for their particular dance numbers.  Our youngest daughter was in the 3-4 year-old class and the song that they were doing their dance to was “The 3 R’s” by Jack Johnson from the Curious George movie soundtrack.  Their costumes for the dance were a leotard and tights along with a homemade skirt out of newspapers that were cut into strips and duck taped together for the waistband. After her big dance began, her skirt fell to the ground, she stepped out of it and continued to dance along with her peers to their big number.  

Americans celebrate Earth Day each year on the 22nd of April, and the song that Jack Johnson sings that our daughter danced to is a good reminder of what we could be doing to help maintain or even better, help out the Earth. The 3 R’s that he refers to in the song are: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle!

REDUCE: 

• Choosing items that you need, not want: People who keep upgrading their electronics (e.g., cellphones) to the latest design are very likely to waste their money and unnecessarily waste natural resources.

• Invest in high-quality items such as reusable water bottles, silverware, reusable cups. 

• Reduce packaging: Bring your own shopping bags or reuse plastic bags. 

• Buying local products: Besides stimulating the local economy, buying local products means we can reduce negative environmental impacts from transportation.

REUSE:

• Containers can be reused at home or for school projects.

• Reuse wrapping paper, plastic bags, boxes, and lumber.

• Give outgrown clothing to friends or charity.

• Offer furniture and household items that are no longer needed to people in need, friends, or charity.

• Sheets of paper that have been used on only one side can be used for note-taking or rough drafts.

• Old towels and sheets can be cut in small pieces and used for dust cloths.

• Books and magazines can be donated to schools, public libraries, or nursing homes.

• Newspapers can be donated to animal shelters.

• Packing materials, such as polystyrene, plastic quilting, and similar materials, can be saved and reused again for packing.

RECYCLE:

The main benefits of recycling are:

• Recycling generates industry: As Texans recycle, there will be a growing supply of materials generated. In order to utilize these recycled materials, manufacturing facilities will emerge to find uses for them. As more recycling plants are built and more products are manufactured, we will gain a greater understanding of the entire process.

• Recycling creates jobs: EPA estimates that recycling 10,000 tons of materials would create 36 jobs compared to six for landfilling the same amount. 

• Cost avoidance of recycling: For years, recycling has been hampered by the belief that it should make money. Rather, recycling should be thought of as a cost-effective disposal option. It usually requires fewer government subsidies than landfilling or incineration. It saves natural resources and helps protect the environment. 

Whether you are already a practitioner in the 3 R’s or ambling along the path of helping when and where you can, not only do the 3 R’s help the environment, it can also REDUCE your stress by REUSING your resources and RECYCLING your feel-good emotions of helping out where you can!