Reduce and Reuse Failed
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Those were the three "R's" at the center of curriculum every kid was indoctrinated with in the 80's and 90's American classroom.
There were videos and projects. There were helpful hints you were supposed to get your parents to help you implement at home. There were grim statistics involving landfills, cubic feet and decomposition rates.
Noble intentions of the environmental movement acknowledged, when I look around in this new millennium I see failed campaign.
Recycling is not ubiquitous. The two pronged problem of laziness and expense have lead us to continuing to throw away boat loads of recyclable material.
What about using less material in the first place?
The simple steps of buying less, choosing items with minimal packaging, and picking solutions that are used again and again rather than throw-away products are the hallmarks of "Reduce and Reuse."
Many of the same ideas crossover into the realm of the thrifty; buy a family size box of cereal, rather than the singe serve boxes, and better still choose a brand without a box. Use a wash cloth in place of a paper towel.
Why did the smart and good ideas not catch on? Follow the money.
With the exception of a few companies offering green products, there is no money to be made when consumers make the choice to consume less.
What we see instead are whole new categories of items designed to be thrown away. If the proliferation tells us anything, it is that consumers are more inclined to buy what is meant to be thrown away than ever before.
Don't believe me?
Ten years ago, there was no such thing was a mop with a one use head. Now Swiffer, and many other brands, make mops and vacuums with little chemical soaked pads. Most households have one or more.
Air fresheners have gotten out of control - you can get them with fans (using electricity, plastic and chemicals) or even to look like glowing candles. We have sprays for our air and sprays for our surfaces, advertised for daily use.
There are dozens of other examples of things we didn't need before. Yet we happily fork over loads of cash for things the commercials tell us we must have to make life better. Then we throw it away only to buy more next time we run to Wal-Mart.
Americans are a cash cow for the marketing minds. Sometimes at the expense of our ideals. Let us be careful what we are buying into.
What a thought provoking post! Esp. about the air fresheners. I've noticed that the Reunzit Adjustable Air Freshener I've always used looks downright quaint these days, but I never gave much thought to the impact.
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Thanks. I've been thinking about writing on this topic for a long time.
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Love this entry! Bull's eye on the air freshener part. I'm still wary about using anything that comes out of an aerosol can.
Don't know if you've heard this: old newspapers can be used to wipe mirrors and windows clean. Wipe with damp wetcloth first then wipe dry with newspaper. I don't know the chemistry behind this, but that is what we use for heavy duty cleaning in the bakery and the display windows just shines. Way better than Windex, I find it leaves streak. =D
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I've never tried the newspaper thing, but I have heard it.
I figure less chemicals have to be better for our health overall.
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Very interesting. I am on an environmental committee for the Town where I work. I don't understand why we don't reduce with things like paper towels and using hand dryers instead.
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Thanks for stopping by.
I'm not big on hand dryers in public restrooms. When they are the option, I usually dry my hands on my pants.
At home, we'd use less paper towels if we didn't have to go to the laundromat. Think about the kitchen towels it would take to do everything reusable. Can't let clean up from spilled milk sit in the hamper for a week...
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Well written. Very nice.
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Thanks.
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I have a blog about reducing plastic use. As often as not, I mention the option of just not having something. Air fresheners are definitely something that can be done without.
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I agree completely. I'll be sure to check out your blog. Our obsession with "fresh smelling" is ad campaign driven. What ever happened to washing things, then opening a window?
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yeah.. I agree. Our society it getting worse, not better.
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Doesn't mean there isn't hope...
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Yep much of the stuff is designed to be replaced quickly and even some electronics and other non throw away items are deliberately designed not to last or be obsolete soon.
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I think it's up to consumers to make the better choice, because someone out to sell products isn't going to say "by the way, you could make a better choice then my product."
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