ECO Desi

Freecycle

So a few days ago I wrote about the 3 R’s of environmentalism.  To recap for those of us that don’t remember or who probably didn’t read my blog (which is probably the majority of you I know) , they are:

Reduce,
Reuse,
Recycle.

In my opinion Reducing and Reusing is probably the hardest thing to do especially in our disposable obsessed society, where buy, buy, buy is the mantra.   But I think I’ve discovered a really clever way in which we can practice REUSE.  I think I first read about it on Oprah’s website but I can’t find it there anymore.  So you will just have to take my word on that.  But it is this fabulous on-line community that calls itself  The Freecycle Network.

Freecycle makes a play on the word recycle.  But by definition we know recycling means the breaking down of items and making use of the raw materials we extract to make something new.  In contrast to this if you freecycle something you are actually re-gifting something that you don’t use to someone who will make good use of it. 

To date I have re-gifted quite a few things. 

 If memory serves me correctly they are:

- A DVD/VHS player (given to someone who didn’t have cable but had a two year old they wanted to keep entertained)

- An old fridge (the person who took this gave me a box of candy to show their gratitude)

- A foozball table (someone wanted this for their nine year old)

- Scrap pieces of cloth (that someone used to make a quilt)

- An old BBQ (that someone needed for their backyard wedding)

- 4 old patio chairs (a father and son trio came to pick those items up)

- A freestanding hammock (given to another environment enthusiast like me)

Just remembering these old items that I’ve given to people gives me a lump in my throat.  Not because I think I did something exceptional by giving them something that I wasn’t using but more because they were so happy and grateful for it.  And I in turn have gotten a few things from generous people such as Lilly buds,  maple saplings but since I’m all about practicing the art of reducing these days and trying to buy less and consume less this has been more about re-gifting for me than taking.

Now don’t get me wrong. There is a bit of work involved. If you want to give something away you have to post a message and that message has to follow a certain format which is approved by the moderators of that group before it goes on the board.  Then if someone likes it they email you and you have to set up a pickup date, time and place.  You can pre-arrange to leave things on the porch or garage so if you are not home you can tell them to come by and pick them up.  It is definitely easier to throw things in the garbage but trust me the feeling of giving it to someone who you know will make good use of it is far more rewarding.

Anyway until next time. Take care people.

The Three R's

So I recently bought a laptop. And in order to be green (and save a few bucks) I decided to buy a slightly used one. I found a shop close to my home that calls itself a computers and electronics outlet. I just walked in and started asking questions. This was my first experience in buying a laptop so I wasn’t sure what I needed but the sales guys were very helpful.

It turns out that the store leases their machines to small to medium sized businesses in the area and when the lease is done, they then sell those machines to the general public. And I loved it. Not only was I getting a top of the line machine at a cheap price (I confirmed this with the IT guy at my work) but I was also implementing one of the Three R’s of the Environmentalist’s mantra: Reuse.

For those of us who are not familiar with the three R’s they are: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Most of us only think of Recycling when we think of being environmentally conscious. But as the following chart shows the three R’s are listed in order of priority and Recycling is the last of the 3 while Reducing in the most favoured of the tree:

REDUCE: The main gist of this is …

• Buying less

• Buying long lasting things with the least amount of packaging. This way we throw away less of what we buy.

• Fixing things when they stop working. Instead of throwing it away and replacing with something else

REUSE: Buying a perfectly working used good (case in point my laptop story) or selling/giving away the things that you don’t use to someone who will use it. These are all good and noble things to do my friend. Try it. You won’t be disappointed

In my opinion, Reducing and Recyling are the hardest for us North Americans to do because our society and economy tells us to buy, buy, and buy. But if we put a little effort into it we can change our buying habits, have less impact on the earth and save a few bucks along the way.

RECYCLE: As defined in Wikipedia, Recycling is the breaking down of a used item into raw materials which are used to make new items. This is also a noble thing because it means less extraction of materials from the earth but the reason why it is not rated highly is because implementing this takes up a lot of energy in breaking down the items and making new things. For a list of items that can and cannot be recycled please see my earlier post.

So I am happy to say that my laptop is working well and I’m happily typing away right now.  It was truly a great buy and it makes me think that the next time I’m in the market to buy something I’ll definitely check out the slightly used options before I look at the brand new options.

Anyway until next time.  Take care people.