“Refuse, Reuse, Recycle”

Can you be convinced to change your life to be more sustainable?  If “Yes,” then what can you do to change it?  These were the questions that Sustainable Dave asked his audience at the beginning of his presentation “Chasing Sustainability” on September 24^th.   Sustainable Dave, Dave Chameides, is a freelance journalist who took a more serious interest in all things sustainable several years ago.  A self proclaimed ‘regular guy,’  Dave first gave his audience a gloomy look at the world as it is today and what wehave to look forward to given our current use of non-reusable products and fossil fuels.  He then continued towards a light at the end of a tunnel where the sun was shining and our grandchildren have the potential to NOT breathe through gas masks.  Another point of interest from Dave’s speech, and which tells you that this is truly a man “walking the walk,” is that he has started a project where he is saving his trash for an entire year in his basement.  I will not discuss the details, however it is quite fascinating what he discovers and how to prevent further trash.  I encourage the reader to check it out on Dave’s blog, 365daysoftrash.com

Dave’s focus for his presentation was not your typical “WE’RE KILLING THE PLANET, SO BUY AN ELECTRIC CAR” sort of environmentalist speech.  He presented his material in a simple, comprehensible, and attainable manner.  Not only was he interesting, witty, and amusing but he broke it down into what I can best describe as two parts:

1.     Be sustainable because it’s

a.     The right thing to do for the benefit of mankind

b.     If you don’t buy that (previously mentioned), then do it to save you CASH MONEY.

2.     There are so many ways to be more sustainable in our day to day lives, besides shelling out cash for an electric car, solar panels, and that commune in the hills where we raise our own goats and sing kumbaya around the campfire.

In my case, or so I thought, Dave was preaching to the quire.  I have always considered myself to be environmentally friendly, but boy was I mistaken.  I must admit that I learned a great deal from his presentation and will definitely kick my “refuse, reuse, recycle” attitude up a few notches. The tips Dave gave his audience are easy, cheap, and really help to cut back on waste (of energy and trash).  I always thought that by using my Klean Kanteen, my travel coffee mug, and my canvas shopping bags that I was doing pretty good  but I will definitely be adapting some of the following into my new, more sustainable, lifestyle.

These were ways to reduce energy and waste that Dave gave in his presentation, but can also be found on his website, blog, and seminar link:

·        Turn Your Lights Off

·        Kick your plastic bag habit (take your own grocery bag to the store, Chico Bags are great)  http://chasingsustainability.blogspot.com/2008/02/poop-on-plastic-bags.html

·        Drop those plastic water bottles (get a  Klean Kanteen, or something and stop buying water bottles- quick note:  the BMU’s water fountains now produce filtered water)  http://www.container-recycling.org/

·        Go CFL (use those light bulbs that are all swirly lookin’)  http://chasingsustainability.blogspot.com/2008/01/still-using-incandescents-cfl-primer.html

·        Buy green power (be it solar panels if you can, ask you local energy company if they supply green energy, http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml  )

·        Seriously, Enough with the disposable cups already.  http://chasingsustainability.blogspot.com/2007/12/seriously-enough-with-disposable-cups.html

·        Start a Worm Composter  http://chasingsustainability.blogspot.com/2008/02/worm-composting-video.html

·        Kill Your Vampires (don’t leave Mr. IPOD plugged in all day while you’re at work/school, it is costing you)  http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/10-26/vampire-power-electricity-article.htm

·        Drive Less, Drive Smarter  http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html

·        Refuse, ReUse, Recycle with Freecycle and Craigslist for starters

·        Stop your junk mail now  http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm

·        Stop your leaks  http://www.h2ouse.org/

·        Curb Your Chemicals – Alternative Cleaning Products That Work.  http://www.ladpw.org/epd/hhw/alternative_recipes.pdf

Wonderful suggestions!  My personal favorite is the worm composter.  Compliments to Sustainable Dave, you convinced me to REALLY change my life to make it more sustainable and you gave me some great ideas on how to do it.  I'd like to add that Dave is not just your "regular guy," he is a great role model and teacher to us all.

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The “western rubbish patch” is roughly twice the size of the continental United States and consists of plastic items (water bottles, bags, etc…)

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