reduce, reuse, recycle, and restore

• using my water bottles. I’m remembering right now to put some clean, empty glass jars with lids into the car, so when I do forget, I can fill the jar up with ice water from a convenience store for free.

• turning the water off when I brush my teeth

• remembering my cloth bags when shopping. I’m at about 80% on this one, and once in a while I’ve bought a reusable bag at the store if I’ve forgotten my own. One of my bags came with a cool little sticker to put on my car window and my front door. It says ‘bring your bags with you when you shop’.

• recycling

I have been making baby steps, and am becoming more conscious, but my goodness do I have a lot of crap.

In the last year, have switched from purchasing bottled water, to using a BPA-free re-usable water bottle and filtered tap water, to a metal Klean Kanteen re-usable water bottle. I won the water bottle and a set of bamboo flatware wrapped in a cloth napkin in a giveaway online, and I keep them in my backpack to use instead of disposables. Remembering to use them is a little more challenging.

I’ve just printed out my community’s recycling chart so I can remember what is and is not picked up at the curb.

I have incorporated these actions into my lifestyle and they are a part of who I am. I cannot not do these things, heh.

as done, since it has become a habit. I take in all bottles with deposit in with my shopping, recycle all other recyclables weekly, use canvas bags for shopping, etc I have cut back on purchasing new items, and buy more used items (clothes, books, etc). This is a continuing goal, but I feel improved enough to mark this one off.

I make my recycling run every other week. I still need to use my canvas grocery bags more. There are too many plastic grocery bags in the recycling. I am also deciding on a new composting system. I may actually go with the vermiculture system.

i carry a stuffable ripstop cloth shopping tote (by Granite Gear) in my purse. it is as if i have not said a thing to the person ringing me out when they glide past my words “i brought my own bag” and continue to stuff my newly purchased items in one of thier plastic bags.

they often seem frustrated with me for handing the plastic bag back and placing the items in my own tote. i warn them, they don’t listen, what’s a girl to do?

Since I am good about recycling and reusing, I need to focus on reducing and restoring.When I gathered up the recycling yesterday I noticed the abundance of plastic and paper bags from the grocery store that we’ve accumulated. I already have canvas bags for putting the groceries in. I need to remember to bring them into the store when I shop. They stay in the back of the car and I forget about them until I put the groceries in the back, and there they sit next to the soda cans that I forgot to bring in. My first step is to use my canvas bags.