Have you ever stopped and thought about how much you throw out in a day? For most of us it is probably a lot more than we think. So many times we do it out of ease and convenience. Take for example a bottle of water. It is easy to grab one on the way out the door as we head to the game, work, beach, etc. and we can justify it because that bottle of water is in a recyclable container. Great, I have done my part to help the environment! Yes it is true that bottle is recyclable, but realistically only a portion of bottles actually get recycled and it still uses energy and resources (such as oil) to manufacture the bottle as well as recycle the bottle. Now what if that same amount of water was taken in a reusable container. Most bottled water is just filtered tap water anyway. That simple act could not only help the environment it could also save you a lot of money over the course of the year. Think about how much your tap water costs (even if you use some type of filter with it) then compare that to how much a bottle of water costs.
This is just one example, take a look around and ask what else can I replace with reusable items. What about that brown bag you bring your lunch in, could you bring it in a reusable container? Did you just use plastic plates and silverware for the cookout because you didn’t want to be bothered with cleaning anything up – don’t worry we are not judging, we’ve been there too. The point is that there are many small things that we can do to have a positive impact on our environment but it takes a group effort. Start with something small today. To learn more about how you can reduce your carbon footprint and suggestions on what you can replace with reusable items, visit the climate change section of this site.