Sustainability Seekers Environmental Inspiration July 2022

I feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use. ~Mother Teresa

Of the 3 R’s, it seems we hear more about Reuse and Recycle, but what about the Reduce part?  It gets the short end of the stick sometimes because most of us are ingrained consumers and getting more stuff is just what we do.

What if you could make everyday things just last longer so that you don’t need to purchase them as frequently? You could save money and reduce your consumption which is healthy for the planet.

Gathered from around the web, here are some tips to make your stuff last longer and Reduce at the same time.

• Clothing—Use cold water to reduce dye loss (and fading) and save energy as well.
• Jeans—Wash them inside out so any dye lost goes back into the fabric, wash in cold water and air dry them as often as possible.
• Mattress—Use a mattress pad to protect the mattress and make sure to flip and rotate it regularly.
• Cars—perform regular maintenance including oil changes, air filter changes, keep tires inflated properly and occasionally wash and wax to protect the paint job.
• Shoes—untie them before taking them off, if they get wet let them dry out before wearing again and don’t wear the same pair every single day. Rotate shoes for more even wear and longer life (like tires!).
• Fridge and freezer—vacuum the coils every few months for better efficiency and to make them last longer.
• Water Bottles—Reduce consumption of plastic water bottles by avoiding buying bottled water. Instead use your REUSABLE bottles.
• Plastic and paper—I know you’ve heard this often but REDUCE consumption of your plastic and paper bags by simply taking your own plastic bags to the store to use. They limited this with Covid, but most stores allow you to BYOB (bring your own bag) again now.