Although we are all hearing so much in recent years about recycling, composting, using reclaimed materials, lowering our carbon footprint, and living a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle, it's often very confusing to people about exactly how to go about doing these things without disrupting our daily lives.
It also seems that there's a lack of information out there about how we actually accomplish the separation and reuse of materials that we have typically just thrown in the garbage and still do. When we go out to eat, whether we're eating at the corner restaurant and taking a to-go box home with us, or eating at a fast food or quick meal type restaurant, there is an unbelievable amount of paper and plastic packaging waste that goes into the trashcan without hope of recycling or being composted and subsequently reused or reintroduced into the environment.
One of my aims through this blog and series of articles is to help people to understand how this process should work. I will be explaining and recommending compostable products over plastic and other non-compostable products. I will be recommending non-toxic soaps & cleaners, paints , and other items that we use in our homes, and explaining why this is important as well as explaining the ways these products are manufactured and the packaging they are placed in.
With the high quality of compostable plastic-like products such as to-go cutlery, boxes, cups and straws by various manufacturers, there really seems to be no need for the use of petroleum or plastic products in these arenas (ie: restaurants and hotels). It is the responsibility of all of us to tell the owners of the restaurants and businesses that we patronize that this is important to us. We need to ask them to begin using compostable and non-toxic products because people really don't know how or have the ability to recycle and separate their trash from the food. We need to make it clear to them that these things are important to their customers.
I'll be discussing more about compostable products, how they work, and how they're made, as well as other types of materials such as building materials and household items like mattresses, sheets and clothing that we keep on our bodies, and the shampoos and soaps and cleaning products we use in our homes every day.
When we go out as consumers to restaurants and businesses we must ask ourselves these questions and consider where the products that we are using are sourced from? Are the materials they are made from healthy for us and the environment in both their ingredients and process of manufacture?
Terms like "Fair Trade", "Organic"and "Natural" are sometimes grey in the way they are portrayed to the public, when in fact, these items may or may not be quite as socially responsible as they make themselves seem. It is our responsibility as consumers to make sure we check the sources and then tell other people and the owners and employees of these businesses what is important to us. The most effective way to do this of course is online ratings, reviews, and by patronizing or not patronizing these businesses or by using or not using their products.
Subscribe to our blog and start getting information about how you can live a more sustainable and healthy life. This is Howard Cohen with 3 Green Things. Ciao
Reach Howard at: uradioshow@yahoo.com
www.gitng.com
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