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| Are you a green-minded senior? In the drive
for a cleaner planet, are you doing your share? Remember the three Rs!
REFUSE, REUSE and RECYCLE! As a retired teacher and as an avid reader, I’ve accumulated over the years, like many of us, a ton of books. Ever since I moved into this house close to twenty years ago, most of these books have been cluttering my basement! Some of these souvenirs can be recycled in second hand bookstores or even exchanged on the Internet. Others, on the other hand, are outdated books on education which would be of little interest to most. Just like books that are in poor shape, discard the useless ones, by first removing the hard covers, and then throwing them out in your recycle box. I rarely throw anything away and that includes clothing. Recently, my better half decided to clean-up my closet! I’ve got to tell you that this was a very emotional moment for me. She finally convinced me by asking and rightly so, why I would want to keep a suit, for example, which I hadn’t worn for at least ten years, was out of style and most important didn’t fit me anymore. Bringing four huge bags to recycling bins was an excellent decision. At the very least, I now have place to put my clothes! There are different organizations that can make excellent use of our discards. The Salvation Army for example will gladly help us recycle unwanted clothing for people in need. Old bedding and towels can be used by animal shelters and some fabrics can be artistically transformed into arts and crafts projects in local schools. Finally old rags made out of natural fibres can be recycled in our compost pile in small quantities at a time. Some electronics and peripherals, like computers and printers if in working order can be reused in schools. Toner and ink cartridges, like old paint can usually be brought back to the suppliers who will dispose of them in a safe way. Old cell phones as well can usually be reclaimed by suppliers. You can also contact your local waste disposal centres to get rid of used batteries and dangerous waste material. The environment is of great concern to most of us. We may not be able to directly affect the energy-intensive tarsands for example but we can make small eco-friendly decisions that will affect the environment. Let’s do our share to save the planet for our kids and our grandkids. |