New year Resolutions – Make ‘em? Keep ’em? Break ‘em?
Here are a few that are easy to keep – if you care about the health of our earth, and people. And when you do, you care about the wellbeing of future generations. And you can save money!
RE-everything! RE means “again” or “again and again” according to Dictionary.com. We can REup our commitments to REcycle, REuse, REfill, REpurpose, REnew, REduce, REpair, REsell, REgenerate, REdeem, and REimagine. Why? To continue to satisfy the demands of a growing population we need to keep the finite base minerals and ingredients of products in play – keep them circulating in our communities and world from new to reused and remade. We cannot drop the ball on this one and let them go to the landfill as trash. When technical and organic materials are used again and again, Nature is regenerated. This is Circular Economy, leading to a zero-waste society, which are the top priorities of CalRecycle, and our State.
RETURN IT - Think about the new requirement WM is initiating now to take organic material out of trash – it must be put it in green waste so it can be ground up to be returned to the earth as compost which is nutritive. If it goes to landfill, it creates Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, which is harmful to the earth, and to We, the People. One can also compost at home in many ways – in piles on the earth, in compost bins where the organic material can break down and return to soil, or in an electric composter (Lomi) which quickly makes soil. No waste and no pollution.
REFILL IT– we are lucky to have a well-stocked store in Nevada City’s Seven Hills district on Argall Way called Planet Refill, or Gaia SOAP Supply. Keep those empty containers and head there to refill just about anything you need there – cleaning products, dish soap, laundry soap, face creams, many body products (soaps and creams), shampoos, Essential Oils, and even shaving creams and kitchen products. Fun to browse and be delighted with how much money you can save refilling.
REUSE IT - Sharing between friends and rebuying at thrift stores is another great way to save money – and keep stuff out of the landfill. For those with little ones who outgrow clothes in months, this is a godsend. It is now also trendy for older ones to go to the thrift or second-hand stores to shop first before buying new. Trade with friends – keep the goods in circulation.
FIX IT- Find a person who loves to repair things to save money too. Or take it to Fix My Gadget in Grass Valley. They work on electronics too. This is super important to not let electronics go to e-waste. Take your defunct items to WM MRTS or to Staples to be returned to a recycling place that will see they feed back into the system.
REDEEM IT – Here is an easy one to MAKE MONEY! – Save up your beverage containers to get your deposit money back thanks to the CRV program from CalRecycle. Most beverages are packaged in recyclable containers. WM will pay you to get the (non-plastic) material back! This webpage tells how much, from $.05 to $.25 per container, wine and spirits bottles included: CalRecycle Bev Container. Nevada County has an excellent website of Recycling Resources: Nevada County Recycling.
Good luck with these resolutions – Save money and the environment at the same time. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 2024
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