In the shadow of recycling
Bart Flegg on December 9, 2009, 9:15 pm

Everybody knows recycling is great. I mean why wouldn't you recycle, it's one of the most simple ways to look our for the world around you. It's not hard to put that your plastic bottle in the round hole instead of the square one after all, just look for the recycling symbol. Ever since a time I can't remember I've been reciting this environmental mantra: reduce, reuse and recycle. We have all heard that before right? Well...

This past summer I was working out in Orangeville and I met this girl who said something that really stuck in my brain. I don't remember the actual words but it was equating to the fact that while we all know the three R's we tend to focus on recycling. Maybe because it is the easiest, or maybe because there is no money in promoting reducing your consumer habits. You have to admit the last R is a significantly more promoted than the first two, no?

Well it got me thinking that maybe recycling is more popular because it has been branded. If I asked 10 people to draw the symbol for recycling I'm sure I'd get at least 9 drawing the same symbol. In fact go on Google Image Search right now and search recycling. I bet the majority of pictures are the same symbol as the 9 people drew just previous. Now if I asked the same 10 people to draw the symbol for reducing or reusing and I bet I'd get a bunch of confused faces followed by a bunch of different and random pictures.

I might be crazy but imagine what we could accomplish if we were as focused on reducing our consumer habits and reusing consumer goods as we are recycling? Imagine if we could approach it with the same drive as the current market for recycling and where that would land us in the near future. Pretty cool if you ask me.

If you have any thought drop me a line here. I haven't coded the comment section yet... Soon.

Recycling, Sustainable, Reuse, Reduce,
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Outdoor Living