Hi Chica Beauties!
For this weekend's blog, we are celebrating Earth Day a little early because our planet can never have too much love from us! Read this informative article from ChicaGirl Magazine about the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle. They’re not just words, but a lifestyle. Going green may have just become the latest trend to hit everywhere from the environment to what you’re wearing, but by doing those three things, we can leave the place we live in a bit healthier than it was before. It sounds cliché, but the little things can make a difference.
Reduce: According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency a passenger car emits 77.1 pounds of hydrocarbons, 575 pounds of carbon monoxide, 38.2 pounds of oxides of nitrogen, and 581 gallons of fuel. Cars are becoming fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. I’m not saying to go buy a
Prius, but be mindful of how much you use your car. Take a walk, or carpool.
Energy is always being used. Reduce the energy being wasted. Simple things like turning off the lights when you’re not using them, unplugging your cell phone charger when you’re not using it, using the laptop battery instead of the outlet, can all help save energy. The US Department of Energy says an average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting, , 43% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling, 12% of your utility bill for water heating, 17% of your household's energy consumption is for appliances, and about 10% to 25% of your heating bill is from the windows. If you take the time to think about what you’re doing these amounts will go down and you’ll save money while
you’re at it.
Reuse: Plastic bags are a hassle. They rip and don’t always hold all the things you need. Plus, they cause damage to the environment if left to go wondering on the highway, ending up on a beach somewhere, where it winds up in the ocean or underneath a pile of sand. Earth911.com says that “Plastic bags photodegrade, meaning they slowly break down into smaller and smaller bits that can contaminate soils and waterways.” Next time you have one don’t throw it away. You can reuse the bags at your home for mini trash bags, to wrap items up and storage. And anyways, it’s a good idea that stores caught on with a reusable bag, of which I suggest you buy. They’re stronger and sturdier. No wonder groceries love them. Another item you can reuse includes plates. My family and I learned this the hard way. After years and years of spending money on throw away plates (they’re convenient), I realized that it did nothing for us. I convinced my parents to buy plastic plates that we can wash (with a eco-friendly dishwasher, or by hand
sometimes) on a regular basis. By switching over we’ve saved money and have reduced the amount of trash we used to throw away.
Recycle: Who doesn’t drink soda? Bottled water? Bottled anything? According to
Recyclingrevolution.com, Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour and most of that is thrown away. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. The next time you drink a soda or a water put it in a recycling bin. All the water bottles we use at my house, we now recycle
them and take the bags to my school where we have recycling bins. (If you live in apartments, try suggesting a recycling program in your apartments to make it easier on you. It’s worth a try). Let’s not forget about recycling that paper. From the notes we take in class, to the newspaper we buy we’re using a lot of paper. Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic
yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. And according to the Washington State Department of Ecology, paper made from recycled paper instead of virgin fiber requires 70% less energy. A good thing about recycling is that there are often programs that will help you or give you an incentive. In some states (including Texas) you can sell aluminum cans. Many schools have a recycling program and the more they recycle the more money they can receive (although sometimes its just knowing you did a good job).
By reducing, reusing and recycling, we may not save the world today or tomorrow, but your actions will determine the length of how many days we have left of it.
Check out dosomething.org, a website dedicated to taking action on a variety of subjects including the environment. Find out the facts about where you live and how you can make that difference.
Join the Chica Beauty sisterhood at chicabeauty.com