Environmentally Friendly: Simple Ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

giving back • my world • Mom It Forward Mondays • tips for giving back

by Mom It Forward on August 29th, 2011 | No Comments »

Environmentally Friendly—Your Season of Service challenge this week is to Recycle. Most of us understand the need for recycling. At the least, it's something that decreases the rate with which our landfills grow. At most, it is an antidote to the "throw-away" orientation of our society. It is, for sure, a way to be good stewards of what we have.

10 Bite-Size Recycling Ideas

Read Dr. Seuss' The Lorax to your kids, and then visit The Lorax Project site and do some games with them to drive home the importance of recycling.
Reassign uses for items such jerseys. If you have a beloved but old/fallen-out-of-favor sports jersey, turn it into a throw pillow.
Check out thredUp.com or visit a Kid-to-Kid store to find out about recycling gently-used clothing. While handing down clothes to younger children may not be a new idea, consider these options if you have a child who doesn't have a younger sibling to whom they can pass clothes down. Donate more heavily used clothing to a large thrift store like Deseret Industries, who can recycle it en masse or dispose of it wisely.
Arrange frequent pick-ups from recycling companies. If your municipality provides recycling bins and pick up, but doesn't pick up frequently enough (e.g. every week as opposed to every other week), call them to find out what they need in order to have more-frequent pick-ups.
Plant a tree. Trees not only beautify our world, they clean carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, out of the air.
Visit Earth911.com to find out where you can recycle your car's oil, if you (or your hubby) changes it yourself, or if they change it.
Read this how-to article on composting, and learn how to recycle your organic waste.
Recycle your used appliances, furniture, computer parts, etc. to RecycleforBreastCancer.org, which strives to reduce the incidence of environmentally caused breast cancer by keeping electronic waste out of landfills.
Donate your used bicycle to RecycleABicycle.org, if you're in the New York area.
Take an online pledge with the Girl Scouts Forever Green Take Action project, or attend a GSFG event like one of these.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

What other ideas do you have for recycling?
How has recycling made a meaningful difference for you this week?
How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

Make a meaningful difference this season by taking the Season of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here's how you can participate:

Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week's challenge.
Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week's challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
Enter to win each week's giveaways. Check out this week's prizes from Fisher-Price or Me Ra Koh.
Join #gno this Monday or Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.