Promote recycling, composting, and waste reduction
The U.S. Environmental Agency estimates that we generate 4.9 pounds of trash per person per day and about half of that ends up in the landfill! Although many aspects of our system work against us, we have a lot of control over the amount of waste we generate in our own homes. We have covered …
Week 21 Recap: Reduce the Amount of Waste You Send to the Landfill Read More »
A little over a month ago I briefly touched on the amount of waste sent to our landfills when discussing “Choosing Reusables.” The numbers are so staggering though, I think it warrants another look. The EPA collects data on how much trash (or as they refer to it, municipal solid waste) is generated each year and where …
According the the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average home in America consumes about 11,000 kWh (kilowatthours) per year, which accounts for roughly 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. If considered a country, these emissions would be considered the world’s sixth largest GHG emitter, comparable to Brazil and larger than Germany. The …
A lot of our actions have been related to how we accumulate and reuse “stuff,” because consumerism is at the root of many of our most severe environmental problems. We advocate refusing, reusing, borrowing, giving directly to others, and buying secondhand because recycling just isn’t enough. Another way to cut our accumulation of stuff and …
Week 19 Recap: Utilize Shared Community Resources Read More »
These past four months, we have discussed ways in which we can wisely use our resources so Blacksburg can be a sustainable, special place. Sustainability assumes that resources are finite and must be used wisely in order to meet our needs while making sure future generations can meet their own needs. This includes decreasing our …
We have talked a lot about the need for a circular economy that keeps returning items, or the materials from which they’re manufactured, to the system to be used again and again, instead of the mostly linear economy we currently have in which items are manufactured, used and then disposed of. One of the key …
Week 18 Recap: Reuse or Repair Something You Already Have Instead of Buying New Read More »
By now, hopefully it’s pretty obvious that a major component of sustainability includes careful consideration of our purchases and making sure we get the maximum life out of the “things” we use. We’ve talked about sustainable gift-giving, buying smarter, reducing our use of single-use plastics, choosing reusables, buying secondhand items, and donating items so others …
Week 18: Reuse or Repair Something You Already Have Instead of Buying New Read More »
To truly break away from the take-make-waste cycle we need to put things we no longer need or want back into the cycle so others can use them. Continuing to just pile up stuff in our houses makes it more likely it will end up in the landfill as it becomes outdated, obsolete, or maybe …
Week 17 Recap: Donate or Give away Something You No Longer Need Read More »
Last week we talked about using secondhand sources for items new to you. This week we’re going to now talk about the other side of the equation – Donating or Giving Away Something You No Longer Need. To truly break away from the take-make-waste cycle we need to put things we no longer need or …
Week 17: Donate or Give Away Something You No Longer Need Read More »
If you attended our June Lunch and Learn program, you heard our Vice President Viverjita Umashankar talk about our current linear economy and how we need to convert to a circular economy. Putting so many resources into products that just end up in the landfill, often after only one use, is not sustainable. This week …
Week 16 Recap: Use Secondhand Sources for Items New to You Read More »
