Everyone is talking about how we can be more environmentally conscious. This series, called "Green Tips," provides suggestions on how to reduce our carbon footprint.
We'll talk about the Three Rs:
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
This first entry is about paper. There is so much paper we use daily in our lives that goes straight into the garbage can, but really every single piece should either be reused or recycled. Better yet, reduce your use if you can. Think of each piece of paper as part of a tree in a forest, and that might help promote doing The Three Rs.
Remember to recycle:
- all magazines + newspapers (or subscribe to them digitally instead - reduce)
- all catalogs (if you don't read them, contact the sender and request to be removed from the mailing list - reduce)
- junk mail (fliers, promotions, coupons, junk, etc.)
- shopping bags (bring your own reusable grocery bags to the grocery store!)
- shoe boxes
- toilet paper + paper towel cardboard tube
- tissue box
- envelopes
- scratch paper / post-it notes
- phone books
- tags on clothing
- booklets in CDs + DVDs
- cardboard boxes from shipping
- milk cartons
- anything paper! It all counts!
If you move, try to use recycled newspaper as protective padding for your delicate items. When you're all finished, most cities have a recycling location where you can drop off all of your moving boxes to be recycled. When I moved from New York City to Los Angeles, I did this and had a mostly green move.! Other times I've reused boxes and that's a good strategy too.
