Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce - This is really where the most good can do. There are some basic principles:

1. How much is enough? This works on so many levels. From how big of a house to how big of a television do you need. My house is less than 1,100 square feet and six people live comfortably in this three bedroom house. Since gasoline became so expensive, a lot of people started asking themselves "How big does my vehicle need to be?".

2. Take care of the stuff you have. I know this is common sense, yet there is always room for improvement. I have seen cars that are only 3 years old and look terrible and then there is someone with that mint condition car from the 50's. This is not limited to cars, it applys to all of your possessions from clothes to furniture.

3. Be Prepared. Yep, just like the Boy Scouts say. How many times do we end up buying something we really don't need and spending too much for something inferior just because we were not prepared.

4. As they used to say in the 60's. "Grow your own!". This time it applies to fruits and vegetables, not pot. In the same theme of growing your own is make your own. Recently we made our own peanut butter. It is great. Think of how many things we buy that get processed and shipped to us from across the country if not from across the globe.

5. Educate yourself. Read articles, watch TV shows such as living with Ed, attend events such as Earth Day, browse the web and talk to friends. There is a lot of great information, but don't assume that it is all true.

Reuse - You don't have to have the latest style to be cool. Want a new car, how about having the engine rebuilt, get a new paint job and the it re-upholstered. It will look and feel like a new car. This applies to other things. Paint your cabinets instead of replacing them and adding memory to a computer can often make a big difference. I've seen so many shows on renovating "Green" that show someone replacing cabinets with green products, but fixing up what you have is greener than a new one will ever be. If you are going to get a new "Something", ask yourself, "Can someone make good use of the old one".

Recycle - The last resort in making a difference. Always better than simply throwing it out. Every year, more and more things can be recycled.