A lot of people think of the term “Reuse and Repurpose” as a reference to recycling, or to crafting something useful out of an item that was once useless. However, Reusing and Repurposing could very well refer to giving an amount of your wealth to someone else. The phrase “One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure” illustrates this perfectly. Just because you feel that something you have is no longer of wealth or value to you, it could very easily become something of great value to someone else. So instead of throwing out something you feel is trash, think about another way of Reusing and Repurposing, and if at all possible, Donate.

I always thought that by using plastic grocery bags instead of buying garbage bags, I was doing a fantastic job of saving the environment. WRONG! Those plastic bags will just end up in a landfill along with the rest of our trash. So I found a website where all of these people talked about their favorite creative ways to use plastic bags. Some of my personal favorites (that I hope to try soon) include using them to crochet bags and rugs and other cool things. Of course I’ll have to learn to crochet first, but I couldn’t believe that some of the pictures were actually your average grocery bag. People are so talented. I even read from a lady who braided strips together so that she had enough to hang from a tree to make a hammock for her kids.

Click these for some plastic bag creations
http://images.thriftyfun.com/images/database/tff91704242.jpg
http://images.thriftyfun.com/images/feedback_image.lasso?id=67290707
http://images.thriftyfun.com/images/feedback_image.lasso?id=17022211

Although recycling is a wonderful way to prevent landfills from overflowing with plastics, paper, glass, and aluminum, there are more ways to help keep the environment eco-friendly. One easy way is to reuse those huge gallon water jugs that usually go in the trash can or recycling bin. At my grandmother’s house, we collect rainwater in her gallon-jugs, then use the water for her plants. The food that her plants make are then used in her delicious cooking! :) Donating clothes is another good way to help both the environment and those less fortunate to have new clothes. Every year, between summer and fall, my family gathers all our gently used or outgrown clothing and donates it to Goodwill. This helps us be both more eco-friendly and more charitable to others. I even wear my mother’s hand-me-down jeans, instead of her having to throw them away! Although it isn’t exactly “trendy” to wear my mom’s clothes, I’m helping the environment AND wearing jeans that I think are great! For more ideas on reducing, reusing, and recycling, here’s a link. It’s a little article that gives both ideas and information on becoming a greener person!

Many people usually think that recycling is the solution to be friendly to the environment. They are right. But, it’s ONE of many solutions. Even though throwing paper into a recycling bin saves many trees, the process of breaking down recycled materials so that they can be used for new materials uses energy and resources too. Also, it doesn’t teach us much of a lesson about helping the environment. People could merely throw paper or plastic in a recycling bin and feel eco-friendly. In my opinion, that isn’t really doing much. I think we should start reusing more. Reusing means to use an item more than once. Although, reusing is not the only solution. Neither is recycling. But that is why there are three R’s. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. :)

Oh, and check the comment for a few sites that list what we can reduce, reuse, and recycle.

New models of phones, computers, ipods, and other electonics come out very often. When people buy a new version, most people just keep their old electronics but don’t use them anymore. What good does this do? There are multiple options for ways to reuse them. Old phones can be donated to http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com to help soldiers overseas be able to call home. By doing so, not only would you be helping the environment by reusing your phone, but you would also be helping someone in need. Other electronics can be sold to http://www.gazelle.com, which finds a new home for your electronics, recycles them, or uses them for their parts. This can be a very effective way of reusing and repurposing, and you are getting paid for it.

At my school this week we had an electronics drive where we brought old electronics in to be recycled. I brought in my old computers and phones and I was wondering where it all went and how they recycled them. This is a link to the Houston Texas Computer Recycling center. check it out

I think something that many people overlook when it comes to reusing products is clothing. Now I know what you’re thinking. No way am I ever wearing used clothes. Gross. And I completely understand. But actually, thrift stores can be the greatest resource for finding cool, unique clothing (if you know where to go :)…) for a fraction of the price for new clothes.
And I’m not saying you need to look like a frumpy grandmother. If you find the right things, and you have basic sewing skills, you can completely transform something into something more your style.
Here, I found this tutorial on the internet and I think it’s a creative and easy way to reuse.

There are some easy ways to reuse, repurpose, and recycle. My neighborhood collects recycling every Tuesday and we try our best as a family to recycle cans and bottles, and cardboard. For some reason we don’t collect normal paper like we do at school. I know we use a lot of paper and we print a lot, and a lot of that paper ends up in our trash cans. I think it would be a good idea to find a recycling collection service that we can use to recycle our paper. This would greatly decerease my carbon footprint.

On another note, another way we can reuse is to simply donate clothes that we know we won’t use anymore. I usually donate my gently used clothes to either my younger cousins or to the Goodwill Donation center that is near my house. It’s kind of like a two in one becuase you are reusing something that you can’t use anymore, and someone else who really needs the clothes can get them. Here’s a link for places you can donate:

It is important for us to reuse and recycle because it helps the planet. There is such a large variety for ways we can recycle. The most commonm thing to do is drop items in the recycling bin (sometimes even things that aren’t recycleable). You can also reuse things. For example, grocery stores have started having those reusable bags that you can bring to the grocery store instead of getting plastic bags everytime you go. Another example is you can give the clothes you grew out of to other familys. I have given alot of clothes to two twins who are in my church group and I always see them wearing them. All you have to do are a few little things to make a difference. The link attached gives more information on reuseing and recycling.

For my project, I am starting a compost. As you know, there are a variety of things that cannot be recycled; however, some of those things may be compostable. It is really easy and all you have to have is a compostable container or can (they usually have holes so that air can get to the food to let it decompose) and preferably a small container with a lid that you can keep in your kitchen to temporarily store the material untill you dump it into the larger bin outside. It has many benefits such as providing nutrients for your garden or backyard, and it will greatly reduce your carbon footprint! Not all items are compostable, but here are some common ones: tea bags, coffee grounds, orange peelings, and stale bread. If you want to learn more about this great way to create nutrients for your garden and reduce your carbon footprint, click on the link below.