The 3 R's are now 4: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse

Awhile back, we were in a grocery store and Cecil pointed at croissants. They were big fresh gorgeous ones packed in a non-recyclable container, and because of that, I told her I wouldn't buy them. I wanted to eat one of those croissants badly, but it pissed me off that it was packaged that way.

For two decades we've been "reducing," "reusing," and "recycling" at home. We are not perfect by any means, but we continue to try and believe that doing so makes a difference.

When we were last at a free day school program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a docent told us about an additional key word to add to our efforts: "refusing" (to buy plastic, new products, or products which are so poorly made that they will break and become a hunk-of- junk in the landfill forever.)

As a parent, I feel like it's my job to model the 4 R's to our kids; and I view it as a way to help mankind not get swallowed up by its refuse.

Recently Cecil and I discussed what each of the 4 R's meant. Then we brainstormed a list (in no particular order) of how we are doing them. I invite you to read and figure out which one of the R's applies to our examples; sometimes more than one applies.

• Composting our green waste: coffee grounds, egg shells, and veggies. I throw it all to the chickens who eat it, poop it, stomp and scratch it into great soil. I also have a couple of piles designated for compost and alternate between wet and dry layers (newspapers and leaves). Even when I don't turn it, it's still biodegrading.
  

• Making dirt and using it in the garden.
  

• Buying American-made products.

• Buying whole grains, spices, pasta, cereal sugar and flour in bulk and storing in glassware at home.

• Building a terrace wall in our yard using the concrete from the cracked foundation under our house.
  

• Building a chicken coop using security bars that were 8 ft. tall that were on the backside of our house when we bought it.

• Growing our own living tree; or cutting down trees and tall tree branches in our lot to use as our Christmas tree.

• Using discarded plants at construction sites to landscape our own yard.

• Incorporating interesting found objects into concrete structures throughout the yard.
  

• Trying not to purchase items made in China because they are poorly made, non bio-degradable, and often made with toxic materials.

• Picking up trash in our neighborhood.
  

• Making high nitrogen fertilizer by soaking/stirring chicken manure and water.

• Buying one big bottle of biodegradable soap and pouring it into preexisting hand-soap and dish-soap containers to eliminate purchasing more plastic.
  

• When the kids were little, I'd buy used plastic toys, because the items never biodegrade and there are too many of them. (I prefer/collect wood and metal toys.)

• Checking out books, audio tapes and DVDs from the library.
  

• Buying used clothing.
  

• Buying antiques or used furniture.

• Building things using reclaimed wood.

• Making cream, lip balm, candles, and soap.

• Making homemade salad dressing.
  

• Using stainless steel containers for water bottles instead of buying plastic containers.
  

• Growing veggies and fruits.

• Raising poultry for meat and eggs.

• Beekeeping for honey, wax and propolis.

• Buying food locally.
  

• Buying organic food.
  

• Making homemade baked goods.

• Cooking from scratch.

• Eating in restaurants vs. a fast food joints.

• Avoiding take out meals.
  

• Never buying antibacterial soap. (I explained why here.)

• Washing zip-lock bags.

• Bringing our own bags to stores.
  

Another example:

Once, I contacted the higher-ups at Trader Joe's to complain about the fact that their vegetables were being packed in a non-recyclable containers. I said, "In this day and age, when there are biodegradable options, there is absolutely no reason for vegetables or any products to be sold in non-recyclable packaging." The representative gave me excuses, but the end result is that I've noticed that they are using paper trays instead of plastic and Styrofoam ones to package many of their vegetables. This makes me smile every time I shop there.

The change was due to many people speaking up.

Ongoing effort:

Can you imagine the waste from all the theaters throughout the United States selling popcorn, drinks and candy in paper products that could be composted? AMC theaters won't provide recycling containers in their venues. I've called and written complaints about this and talked to managers on-sight who agree with me, but who say they are helpless to make changes. It makes no sense, especially when the cities the AMC theaters are in provide a green bin for compostable material, and a bin for plastic and metal recyclables. I hope others will complain about this too.

Heck, I've noticed that Delta's in-state flights are recycling and one may take action to get more airlines to do so here.

If we all keep trying to do the 4 R's, we'd help the planet and we'd improve our health.

Please leave a comment about other ways to participate in this environmental effort, the 4 R's.

This is science in action!