Jan 06 2009
The three R’s in Resolution!
Well it’s that time of the year again to talk of (no points for guessing correctly!), New Year’s Resolutions!
We all make them, even if it’s for fun. But keeping them is a different matter. I just learnt that according to recent research done through various surveys and polls, only 45% of Americans make serious resolutions and only 15% end up keeping them! Shockingly small figures for such a large nation!
But end of the day, it’s all about quality, not quantity. And if you can add a few GREEN resolutions to your list, then what better way to start the New Year!
Some simple ones to toss into the mix (along with your more serious commitments) are the 3 R’s. We all know what they mean (or should), but how do we apply them with the least amount of difficulty?
REDUCE: Not such a hard concept really, but very difficult in a consumer based economy like ours! We’ve been taught to spend more and our entire lives are sometimes defined around not who we are, but what we buy! How then do we cut back on wastage and stick to the bare minimum? In our home, we ask ourselves- do we really really really need this? (thrice is our lucky number). If the answer is yes, yes and yes again (such as the kick-ass TV which my husband insisted we need, and now just sits there!), then of course we buy it. But if the answer is no or a maybe, then defer the purchase till tomorrow. You’ll see that in most cases, ‘tomorrow’ doesn’t come!
Reduce also means cutting back on things you already have, but don’t need to use that often- the extra lamps in the living room which don’t need to be switched on each time you sit down or the extra heating for the guest room, which is hardly ever used. Cut back on all those excesses and you’ve already kept part of your resolution.
REUSE: This does not mean gather all the possible junk in your home and pile it in your garage. You do not need to save all those empty toilet paper rolls in the hope that one day you’ll find the perfect craft use for them! Nor do you need to keep all those bottle tops in a jar. This leads to clutter. And maybe the occasional bug or two! Reusing what you can ‘immediately’ is the key to being environmentally friendly and clutter free at the same time.
RECYCLE: This one is not hard folks! Recycle everything that can possibly be recycled! And what’s more, you’ve even been provided with the big blue tubs to do so. Nothing could be simpler than keep a few strategically placed baskets, bags or boxes in each room of the home, in which to chuck in your empty bottles, pens, shampoo containers or whatever else that needs to be recycled. End of the week, empty it into the big blue box and it’s that easy!
Doing all three, or even one of the above is a small, yet effective step in the right direction. So do add it on to your New Years resolution list, and do make it one (or three) of the resolutions you’ll keep!
Happy New Year!
