The Five Rs

Respect
Just like Aretha Franklin said, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”!  The first step to a green heart is respect, respect for the planet, respect for yourself and your body and respect for fellow humans.  Respect gives way for less destructive habits and a happier and healthier heart. 

Rethink
Rethink your lifestyles and buying patterns can really make a difference. Before the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in May of this year I sadly admit I never gave much thought to where my clothes were made.  But after researching the retched working conditions, constant fires, unsafe buildings, and poorly paid workers I made an effort to learn just where the clothes and products I was purchasing were being manufactured. American Apparel located in Los Angeles, CA is proudly sweat-shop free and offers great fashions for competitive prices.  By choosing to only support companies that treat all their laborers with respect we can motivate more companies to rethink their working conditions. Click here to watch a short documentary about the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse.

Reuse

If 25% of American families used just 10 fewer plastic bags each month, an estimated 2.5 billion bags could be saved from landfills each year. When I was younger my mum would tell us to bring home our plastic sandwich bags from lunch. She would rinse them out and let them air dry to reuse them again the next day. I now do the same thing.  It is the small things that make a huge difference!

Reduce

Less is more! We live in a shop till you drop society that creates unnecessary waste and debt. Try visiting garage sales, consignment shops and goodwill stores for gently used clothing and other items.  Get creative with old furniture like desks and coffee tables. Never under estimate a good do-it-yourself project. Gather friends for a repurposing party and get creative!   

Recycle

Recycling is one of the easiest ways to respect the earth.  Too many items that could have been recycled end up in landfills each year, like paper, yard clippings, cans and milk jugs.  If your community has a recycle program use it! If you do not have a recycle bin go to your local city hall and ask for one. I paid $5.00 for mine. When I was in college I lived in an apartment complex that did not recycle, so each week I would drive five minutes down the street to my uncle and aunt's house to do my recycling in their bin. It was great, they always made me stay for dinner!

A greener heart yields respect, and respect is good for us all!