Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

By Renton de Alwis

This weekly column published between April 2009 - April 2012 in Sri Lanka's 'Daily News' newspaper  addressed core issues regarding sustainability, critically examining the current concepts, thoughts, strategies and actions adopted by us in the context of both the global and local economy.

Reducing the impact on mother earth of excessive emission of greenhouse gases is identified today as a priority by all nations. Since it is little droplets of water that go to form the wide and mighty oceans, what we as individuals and households do to reduce these emissions will well be what will determine the survival of the planet we live in, in the future. It is true that large industries and the more ‘developed’ nations should take a fair share of the blame for what has gone wrong this far. The discussion on who was more responsible for contributing to global warming and the resultant problems will go on and on. Mitigation measures will be sought at global and national forums. The columnist holds the view that, while all this goes on, it is important for each of us as individuals to seek ways in which we can identify and mitigate ways in which we can reduce greenhouse gases we emit to the atmosphere.

 

It is indeed the elite in any country, who are at the forefront of emission of greenhouse gases through the affluent lifestyles we lead. Thus the responsibility also falls squarely on us to take on mitigation measures. If not for any other reason, we must understand that what we know  as ’green lifestyles’ are also ways in which we can be smart in reducing our expenditure for day to day living. While this can be a motivator, as a bonus, we can also have the superior feeling of being able to care for our environment and the good health of our planet.

 

Today’s column and several hereafter will attempt to share practical tips which can be used by individuals and households in creating green and smart lifestyles. For those who already practice these, let it be a reminder and for those who want to begin its practice, it is hoped that it will serve as a useful guide.

Throwaway society


Most of us, when we recount and discuss the good old days talk about the solid, durable, and long-lasting quality of products of the Germans. I remember buying a shirt in 1983 of a German make that served me well for over two and half decades. I only gave it away recently. Then came the fierce competition for trade supremacy and the Japanese began to produce for the mass market with not much regard for quality of durability. Today we see the same phenomenon continue with most Chinese goods.  We indeed have got to living in times of a throwaway culture. Remember futurologist Alwin Toffler’s 1970 work “The Future Shock” and the concept therein of a ‘throwaway society’, where he discusses the compulsion of the modern citizen of the world to get away from the durability domain to one that is cheaper and less durable.

Enlightened consumerism

One of the key adjustments we can make in our attempt to seek reduction in our consumption is to get away from the throwaway culture and adapt to consuming more durable products. To buy and use only what is essential for our need for ‘comfortable’ living, while inculcating these values in our children will be another sound step. Buying products with minimum packaging and less toxic material will be two other ways of also ensuring that we get into a more enlightened way of leading our lives as consumers. While in a media dominated world this is a tough task, one will need to make a choice for we are here not only focusing on us but of the next and generations to come.

Old and New

In the area of reusing going back to our age old practice of repairing items as much as possible is a great way to ensure that we do justice to the durability of the products we use. Using cloth napkins or towels instead of paper based products, clay ‘Guraletthus’ for storing boiled drinking water, empty jars to hold leftover food, reuse of boxes and other containers.

As a way of establishing good durables and earth-saving habits among the young  is  to encourage them to purchase and use of refillable pens and pencils. Donating extras of your household to people you know or to a charity instead of throwing them away is yet another good practise. Reuse of grocery bags as trash bags or better still one can reduce the need for plastic grocery bags by participating in the programme for the reuse of grocery bags now offered by most of the super- markets. One can also take the same bag to the fruit or vegetable vendor to fill yourself up and refuse the plastic bag they may offer you.

The digital world also offers us opportunities to reduce on the use of paper and seek efficient communication. E-mail and SMS communications used with diligence can ensure that we have hardly any need to print produce documents. Use of methods of digital storage such as external hard drives, thumb drives or CDs in keeping records are sound innovations without resorting to use of the printer. 

Mainstreaming

The role of the traditional ‘Botal Karaya’ or the ‘Patthara Karaya’ who dealt with both collecting old news papers and used bottles and cans is now becoming a dying breed in most areas. This was both a vehicle for ridding oneself of the old products to be recycled and as an employment provider. Today, with unmanageable volumes, garbage recycling is big business and new systems are fast coming into place to replace the old. Composting food scraps, grass and other yard clippings and dead plants to make organic fertiliser is yet another task that can have the participation of the whole family.

These are but some of the efforts we can take on in our quest to transforming what is still a marginalised movement of reducing, reusing and recycling in to a mainstream life style activity among our elite and the rest of the populace. It is then and only then, that Sri Lanka can move towards becoming a carbon-clean destination for ourselves also serving as a sought-after beacon for visitors from all over the world.

Useful Web addresses:

The Recycling Guide – www.recycling-guide.org.uk
Living Green – www.grist.org/kingdom/living-green
Central Environment Authority of Sri Lanka – Special Projects – www.cea.lk/special_pro.php
Wastes - Resource Conservation – www.epa.gov/waste
Everyday is Earthday – An Example of Community Action – www.leftfootrightfoot.com/earthday
Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources – Sri Lanka , Critical Environment Issues – www.environmentmin.gov.lk/issues/htm
Ethical Living magazine - www.ethical-living.org/