The book Get Out!: 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get Into Nature and Build a Greener Future, by Judy Molland, is an excellent resource to help make our world a better place and to enjoy doing it. Although recycling is a positive action, it is expensive, and it deals with waste that has already been produced. “Reduce and reuse” are the two most significant ways to save on waste, because they lessen the amount of waste before it is produced. There is a reason the “3 Rs” of conservation are listed in order.

Only 2 reusable tote bags can eliminate the waste of materials and energy needed to produce those 200 grocery bags. If someone makes 2 trips to the grocery store each week, and takes home 2 grocery bags per trip, that results in using over 200 grocery bags per year. Much of this trash is recycled, yet even small changes in daily life can make a big difference in waste production. And only about 1.5 pounds of that waste is recycled.Ĭommon trash consisting of items such as product packaging, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, furniture, appliances, and all other discarded items results in over 250 million tons of trash per year. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that on average, each person creates about 4.5 pounds of waste per day.

The most effective way to cut down on the waste and pollution that we produce is by actively performing the “3 Rs” of conservation: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Get Out! by Judy Molland