Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

The slogan that is drilled into the heads of every American citizen who supports an environmentally friendly lifestyle is made up of three simple words. These three words are best known as the three R’s of the environment. I had the ability to recite the three R’s with ease from a very young age, “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” is what my Junior Kindergarten teach would stress after snack time everyday. Throughout my life I have heard these three words many times, however despite the familiarity of their sound, I know little about their meaning.

            My family did use a recycling bin, I know this because every Thursday morning my mother would ask me to grab the blue bin from outside and bring it back into the house. After researching about the recycling process for the purpose of writing this blog, I now wonder how many recyclable items I threw in the garbage, rather then the recycling bin. Well, I figured is will be beneficial to put my neglectful habit into numbers. On average I drink three bottles of water a day, therefore I consume 1095 bottles of water a year. Potentially, these bottles could be used for all sorts of new products such as new bottles and containers, lumber, pipe, park benches and railroad ties.

            Recycling is an influential part of the cycle, however it lays a lot of responsibility on the individual consumer. Similarly, reusing and reducing allow consumers to make a substantial contribution to the environment. Reusing is as simple as being creative with the things you own. Instead of referencing my past actions, I am making it a priority to find three things that I can reuse, rather then throw away. Although it is a small contribution to the environment alone, if all 311,591,917 Americans did the same, there would be 934,775,751 less objects in our landfills.

            Lastly, “reducing” is said to be the best way to help the environment. There are several ways that I can reduce that amount of garage that I produce each day. The first being as simple as buying products with the least amount of packaging. Everyday for lunch I get a salad that is packaged in a plastic container. For the next week I am going to use the class bowls that are provided for the students by the campus center. By doing so, I will eliminate this unnecessary container that eventually ends up in the garbage, rather then the recycling bin. Another way that I can contribute to “reusing”, is by carpooling with my friends, rather then driving alone to desired locations around Elmira.

            There are many simple ways that American citizens can improve their environmental footprint. By keeping in mind the meaning of the Three R’s during my daily tasks, I will be able to contribute to the environment regularly, and effectively.