REDUCE (the overlooked part of Reduce/Reuse/Recycle)

photo credit, Kerry Ducey

I grew up in Houston and when I was little we moved out to the suburbs. There was never ending neighborhoods being built. I was always looking at the window and pondering things and I remember seeing a whole patch of woods disappear and in the place was some kind of shopping center going up. I burst in to tears and asked my mom what happened to the animals?

Fast forward to high school. I have recently written about the summer I spent in Paraguay. I am a child of the 90’s, so I already was upset about the rain forest and acid rain. I saw the forest get cut down in Paraguay to make carbon for batteries and I saw their slash and burn farming method. I met Japanese humanitarians who were there doing reforestation work. There were so many cool cross cultural connections and really good work going on and I never forgot that. At that time I also began reading Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau and I discovered Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. I agreed with their call to steward the earth. I went to college in Austin and learned about recycling and Co-Ops where you can share work for groceries and connect to the earth and your food more. At that time, I began to follow Jesus and read the Bible and discovered God’s heart for His creation and in fact I adored that the first job was gardener!!

Over the years, I have pondered different movements and solutions. I have watched the amazing earth reset itself—after Volcanic eruptions, after the tragedy of over farming brought on the Dust Bowl days, after good governance + public awareness helped the rain forest come back and so on. I learned that the oceans have this giant agitation cycle like our washing machines and clean themselves periodically. I have listened to people over the years wrestle with what to do about the environment. I have considered government roles and public roles, but I want to write about personal responsibility.

I believe that most of us care to some degree about the environment, but often it feels like a problem we can’t solve. I notice Americans in particular have FINALLY gotten on board with recycling, but there is often a conflict with our societal habits of materialism and shopping and eating as a form of recreation. We SAY we value the environment but our actions do not match our words. I really think compared to the rest of the world we think we are contributing because we recycle, but we forget about REDUCE. I think a lot of resource challenged places do a GREAT job of reduction out of necessity. What grieves me is that most waste in other countries is imported from higher resourced countries. I also notice Europeans are way better with less stuff than Americans.

I propose we stop and ponder REDUCE.

Reflect on our habits.

Question our purchases and shopping therapy.

Question our updating choices.

Question why storage units are taking over our cities?

REDUCE (to minimise the amount of waste we create) involves self control and discipline. I came to realize one year that I emotionally spend. It helps to be married to someone who does not. I have had to really get disciplined with that temptation! One person can absolutely make a difference, but what if a movement of the simple life actually took root?? We saw a little of that impact on the earth this spring/summer when we reduced activity due to the pandemic. It’s powerful and possible! I like how people smarter than me approach massive changes like this. Pick one thing to change or add. And then slowly, keep incorporating. I love all the awareness for support local and I do believe cheaper is not always better. I also believe it is VERY difficult to make that change. I mostly don’t, in fact, because I love to save money and I have a family of five. BUT, I am going for the other changes of REDUCE. What can you pick and how can you incorporate the REDUCE value of the recycling equation? Don’t give in and don’t give up, right??