BadArt

Can you Live Carbon Neutral?

I would like to challenge everyone to recycle or reuse everything they come in contact with for a day, a week or as long as possible. We are so up in arms about plastic bags but many, if not most products we bring in our homes are made of plastic. Shampoo bottles, milk cartons, bags for bread, spice jars the list does not end. I would like to know how many items in the grocery store are recyclable. I would like to look at how many products I could eliminate that are not recyclable or biodegradable.

I have made lots of changes in my life to cut down my carbon foot print. We dropped our Sam’s Club membership years ago because of over packaging and basic over consumption. I hang my laundry to dry, use natural cleansers, recycle everything I can and we have one car. My families’ recycling is double sometimes triple the size of our garbage.

Paper pulp bowl with wax coating

My main activity is creating sustainable crafts. My tasks tend to be crafty. I use recycled material because that’s where my heart is. I could purchase beautiful yarn and new materials for every project but my imagination is pumped using existing supplies. I would like to find reuse for every item I bring into my home.

Companies should have minimum requirements to recycle packaging and products. Industries are getting better about recycling products but it could be better. Can you imagine a company where reuse, repurpose was built into each product. Can you imagine a city that insisted on it?

I have a long way to be completely carbon neutral but I accept the challenge. One day I’ll have an electric car and a solar home and no garbage. I would be living harmoniously with my environment. I would like you to look at the waste you create for one day or week and make changes to do better. If you can’t recycle it acknowledge it.

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20100124/going-carbon-neutral-austin-rocks