Beginning your journey to the world of reduce, reuse and recycling.  What is the whole point for educating ourselves to a few common-sense recycling habits?  It is looking at the things we use and the way we use them in a different way.  It is a source of revenue which helps us reduce our impact on landfills.  Just a few new ideas can help us become aware of our actions and can help us save and contribute to the common good.

What is your carbon footprint?  Take a survey of your office and home and determine what you have versus what you really need.   Evaluate excess items with an eye of re-gifting, sharing with others or donating to a charity.  Simplify and save money.

Reduce:  A smarter way to save is always to buy less.  It's the best way to reduce your carbon footprint.  It helps you to live a simpler and more uncluttered life.  However, in my experience this is the hardest part for me to do.  Old habits die hard.  To reduce my carbon footprint, I must constantly monitor my office, my home and my car.

Try to buy locally and help our local businesses.   Before you shop, research for discounted specials and coupons, both online and at your local stores.  Don't forget consignment stores, discount stores and even garage sales!  If you see an item you need but it is a larger quantity than you need, consider letting others know so they can share in the great value and your cost is reduced.

Paper -- don't print every email.  Preview all emails on your computer critically before hitting the print button.   Print on both sides of your paper.  Use a satellite or off-site storage system to file and "store" your documents.  Storing your computer files off-site will save you three things:  time, money and worry. 

Shredders:  Cross cuts versus micro-cut.  Traditional shredders cut paper in length-wise strips.  A micro-cut shredder cuts the paper in confetti-sized pieces.   Since the pieces are smaller, the bin holds more and you empty the shredder less often.  Your carbon footprint is smaller and there is less volume in our landfills.   

An additional benefit, but an extremely important one:  the smaller the piece shredded the more secure your shredded information could not be reconstructed by someone else.

Reuse:  Set up an area for usable office supplies that can be shared or donated to a charity.  Establish an area both at work and at home to share office items (office furniture, binders, paper clips, file folders, pens, etc.) that can be used by others.  Donate the items you are not using to your favorite charity or give away items to others. 

Create a Partnership – Unify Your Community:  Partner with a school in the Las Vegas Valley.  Donate your extra offices supplies.  Find out what supplies the school needs and donate items for their use. 

Tour the school and let the kids show you how they recycle.  The students' curriculum includes the 3R's of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We can learn a lot from them.  Invite the students to visit your office and show you how you can better incorporate the 3 R's Reduce, Reuse and Recycle into your office/home setting.

Recycle:  By recycling, energy is saved.   Did you know aluminum cans are the one source that can be recycled over and over and over?  It is estimated that one can may be recycled and put back on the shelves at least four times a year.

The ordinary aluminum can is totally recyclable and they are valuable. For every aluminum can that is recycled, the energy saved is twenty times.  In other words when you recycle one can, 20 cans don't have to be created, thus saving energy.  By recycling a ton of aluminum the energy saved could provide enough electricity to supply a decade of electricity to your home.

The 3 R's, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle can add a new dimension to reducing your Carbon Footprint.  By educating ourselves we look at our working and living environments in a different way.  Recycling can connect you with your community and unify you with the schools and the students in your community. Reduce, Reuse and Recycling will save you money. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or suggestions at Sharon@LivingInThLasVegasValley.com.