Everyone knows what recycling is. The problem is that almost nobody really appreciates WHY they should recycle. Despite the best efforts of several organisations and governments worldwide, there are still some of us who don’t recycle at all.

But at a time when the environment is feeling the strain of pollution, everyone should be doing their part to recycle. What reasons do these people have for them to ignore such an important activity?

• They Don’t Look at the Long Term

Most people fail to grasp the long-term impact of recycling. They only think of immediate results; the problem is, recycling has a cumulative effect that can only manifest itself in the long term.

It’s no surprise that people treat recycling as simply a “trend” that ebbs and flows, to disappear later on. They’d probably give it a try, and then dismiss it after some time instead of getting it into their system.

• They Weren’t Informed

There are, of course, areas that information drives don’t reach that easily. In these areas, there are no efforts to introduce the concept of recycling to the population. Thus, the people there don’t know why they should be recycling their trash in the first place. This is not totally their fault, and governments should step up their efforts to get the good news across to these places.

• They Find It Inconvenient

True, it takes a lot of time to segregate your trash and identify which ones can be reused and which ones should be sent for disposal. That is not an excuse for not doing it, however. If people who don’t recycle can somehow make it a part of their routine, they’ll find out that segregating is as easy as counting from 1 to 3.

Again, this is because they probably don’t appreciate the long-term benefits that recycling can bring. They only see what is in front of them and, unfortunately, they find it a waste of their time.

• They Think It Doesn’t Make a Difference

What makes recycling complicated in other people’s eyes is that the benefits are not completely visible or readily felt. However, if you do a lot of research and find statistics about trash in your area (it should be available from the relevant government agency), then you can find specific information about how recycling makes a difference.

Try to check statistics on trash generated and trash recycled within a certain time period, and you’ll see that it does make a difference. It’s just not that visible when you don’t take a closer look.

So, now that you know the reasons why people typically don’t recycle, let’s look at the reasons why they should.

• Recycling Frees Up Landfills

We already know that waste that has to be disposed normally gets sent to landfills—large tracts of land dedicated to holding garbage.

Landfills, however, are a ticking time bomb of diseases and chemical contamination. As plastics decompose, they release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and leach chemicals into the soil. These greenhouse gasses can accumulate in the air and prevent the natural dissipation of heat into the atmosphere, raising the world’s temperature and changing the climate.

• Recycling Eliminates the Need to Clear Forested Areas

To accommodate the increased volume garbage, the government has no choice but to create new landfills, which means clearing up forested areas to be used as landfills. This means local wildlife are forcibly displaced from their natural habitats, forcing them to encroach on urban areas where they are at risk of being run over and killed.

If everyone actively recycled their garbage, the government won’t have to create new landfills to accommodate people’s trash. This also eliminates the need to cut trees, which are crucial to controlling carbon emission by “inhaling” carbon dioxide and “exhaling” oxygen for us to breathe.

• Recycling Actually Creates Jobs

Although large-scale recycling centres have automated equipment designed to segregate and process garbage, these machines still require actual people to operate them. It goes without saying that if more people recycled their waste, this would create more jobs in the waste disposal industry, creating more taxes that can help stimulate economic growth through infrastructure development.

• It Keeps Property Value from Depreciating

Although this is from a purely real estate perspective, it also makes sense. Theoretically, the value of a property appreciates over time under fair market conditions. However, external factors can easily affect the projected value of a house. For example, if the government were to construct a new landfill in your area, the market value of nearby properties are all but guaranteed to take a hit.

It all boils down to the question: “Who wants to live next to a landfill?”

Indeed, this is indicative of the holistic effect of trash management and recycling. It’s a global problem affecting anything and anyone caught in its way. If you own a posh home and you want to keep its value from going down, you should start thinking about recycling right now.

Closing Thoughts on Recycling

Recycling might be a practice that takes time to get used to, but it’s one that ultimately pays off in the long run. Its benefits are far reaching, impacting not just your home or city, but the entire country and the rest of the world. And when you commit to recycling every day, you’ll be amazed at how much of the stuff lying in your property that you think is junk can actually be reused and recycled. You can even make a bit of money off of them if you can find interested buyers.

Bottom line? It pays to do your part and recycle now.

When we speak of making a major lifestyle change, the first thing we often ask is, “What’s in it for me?” Perhaps that’s a thought that takes root from our “fight or flight” instinct. We are cautious about everything we do and so, we make sure there is something to be gained from whatever it is we’re about to embark on.

When it comes to lifestyles that are in vogue, the zero-waste lifestyle is probably one of the most popular out there today. It involves making several changes to your consumption habits that reduce your output of non-biodegradable waste.

While the environmental benefits of going zero-waste are easy to figure out, did you know that this lifestyle also has benefits for your general health?

Going Zero-Waste Reduces the Incidence of Diseases Caused by Landfills

Have you tried going to a landfill where all your city’s trash is dumped? Before recycling became a thing, landfills were the only destination for garbage in many cities and communities around the world. There, the garbage is left under the sun to decompose. In fact, a landfill is essentially a giant compost pit.

Now, let’s take a look at the process of decomposition. Decomposition is a natural process in which matter deteriorates into a form that is easily absorbed and consumed by microorganisms in the soil. We see decomposition all around us. For example, paper is a biodegradable material that decomposes in the soil in the right conditions.

With garbage, it’s a different matter.

Rotten food, for instance, attracts insects and pests when left to decompose on its own. It’s why you throw leftovers in the trash in the first place—so they can be taken away from your home and lead the flies and other household pests elsewhere. But everything has to go somewhere, which means that even if your waste isn’t at home, it’s joining everyone else’s trash in your city landfill, making it a Disneyland of sorts for pests like flies, mosquitoes, rats, mice, and roaches.

And where there are pests, there are also bacteria, viruses, and diseases. And the problem here is that these pests don’t just stay in landfills, they will go around and contaminate the objects they come in contact with, spreading diseases such as amoebiasis, leptospirosis, and others.

And it’s all because of the garbage we collectively throw in our landfills.

Reducing Your Waste Prevents Contamination of Groundwater

Aside from spoiled, rotten food, landfills are also filled to the brim with plastics. In fact, according to Clean Up Australia, “An estimated 3.76 billion bags or 20,700 tonnes of plastic are disposed of in landfill sites throughout Australia every year. Australians dump 7,150 recyclable plastic bags into landfills every minute or 429,000 bags every hour.”

The danger here is that plastics, which are essentially a byproduct of oil, release harmful chemicals into the ground as they decompose. The soil absorbs these chemicals, which, given time, eventually seeps down into the groundwater, contaminating a valuable water source for your community.

If everyone practices the zero-waste lifestyle, however, you’d be reducing your impact on landfills, helping control the spread of diseases and contamination of groundwater.

A Zero-Waste Lifestyle Also Helps Prevent Flooding and Flood-borne Diseases

As if flooding itself wasn’t devastating enough to infrastructure, it can also promote the spread of water-borne diseases. Rat urine, for instance, when mixed with floodwater can result to leptospirosis, a potentially fatal disease that tends to manifest symptoms when it’s too late.

But let’s backtrack a bit—what exactly causes flooding?

We know that it’s caused by an unusual volume of water, far more than the sewage system is designed to handle. It can also be caused by clogged sewage lines that impede the normal flow of water.

The latter is often the case in many parts of the world. And what prevents water from flowing smoothly out of exit points?

That’s right—garbage.

Unfortunately, many places around the world still have problems managing their waste. Countries like Bangladesh were crippled by flooding caused by blocked sewage lines that the government was forced to take the drastic action of banning plastic bags altogether.

But you don’t have to wait for a plastic bag ban. By making the conscious decision to reduce your plastic waste, you can do your part to reduce the volume of non-biodegradable items that clog sewage lines.

Tips to Start the Zero-Waste Lifestyle

The truth is, the most difficult part about going down the zero-waste path making the first step. This is where all the uncertainties and doubts weigh you down. But once you make the decision of reducing your waste drastically, things will get easier. You will find out that you’ll have integrated the zero-waste habit into your own personal system.

So, how does one start the zero-waste lifestyle? Here are some valuable tips for you to know:

• Segregate Your Trash

It’s time to say goodbye to the carefree days of just simply packing for disposal the items that you think you won’t be able to use again. Take some time to go through your trash and find out what items you can reuse, and separate them. Make sure you got some extra space to put them in.

• Find Some DIY Recycling Projects

There are lots of recycling projects that you can do with everyday stuff that you have in your house. This is also a great way to exercise your creativity, and keep your mind working. For example, you can buy a few meters of canvas fabric and make your own reusable shopping tote bags.

• Give Away Stuff that You Cannot Reuse but are Recyclable

Find recycling centers that can find a good use for your recyclable items that you don’t have any projects for. They’ll be more than happy to take your “trash.”

These are just three of the ways through which you can jump-start your journey towards the zero-waste lifestyle. They’re a good start, and you can build on them easily over time. Without knowing it, you’ve already made recycling and segregating a conscious habit that you automatically do without thinking about it.

“Sustainable lifestyle”—it’s the hot new buzzword capturing the fascination of many everyday consumers

So, what exactly does it mean to live a sustainable lifestyle? In a nutshell, sustainable living revolves around reducing your impact and use of the planet’s natural resources in whatever way possible. Ask anyone living a sustainable lifestyle about how to do it, and you’ll often get a variety of tips and pointers, all of which involve the challenge of minimising your carbon footprint, or the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon compounds generated by the use of fossil fuels, fossil fuel by-products, and objects that use fossil fuels.

Advocates of sustainable living are all about living their lives in a way that’s more respectful of the natural balance our society should strike with the earth’s ecology and natural resources.

Now for the big question: How do you live a sustainable lifestyle?

Below are 8 ways to help you do just that.

• Use Reusable Shopping Bags

Switching to reusable shopping bags is arguably the best way to cut back on having to use single-use plastic bags when you go shopping. According to Cleanup Australia, “Australians use 3.92 billion plastic bags a year, that’s over 10 million new bags being used every day. An estimated 3.76 billion bags or 20,700 tonnes of plastic are disposed of in landfill sites throughout Australia every year. Australians dump 7,150 recyclable plastic bags into landfills every minute or 429,000 bags every hour.”

Clearly, something has to be done to change this, and it all begins with the little things. The simple act of carrying a reusable bag in your daypack or purse and using it whenever you go to the grocery store goes a long way to cutting back on the unnecessary and wasteful use of plastics.

• Reduce Your Dependence on Plastics

And it’s not just plastic bags causing problems. We live in a world that’s become far too dependent on plastics, for the simple reason that it’s convenient.

Besides single-use plastic bags, you can cut your use of disposable plastic bottles by bringing your own water bottle, whether it’s a Nalgene bottle or a Kleen Kanteen tumbler. If you like to buy coffee at your local coffee shop, have it served in a mug you or bring your own coffee tumbler with you.

• Cut Back on Your Waste

Plastics are just one of many items that almost automatically go to the bin after just one use. You can also cut back on your waste by doing the following:

• Buying items like food and toiletries in bulk to cut back on unnecessary packaging
• Selling or donating furniture you no longer need (the same applies for any kind of goods for that matter)
• Avoiding disposable items like disposable razors, cups, spoons and forks, and even toilet paper
• Buy refills of common items to cut back on packaging

• Switch to LED Lighting

LED lighting is another simple investment that goes a long way toward reducing your carbon footprint. Light-emitting diode bulbs are up to 90 per cent more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs. A better way of explaining this would be to think of the light generated by a 100-watt incandescent bulb; its LED equivalent would only need about 10 to 15 watts of electricity to generate the same intensity of light, if not more.

LEDs are also durable and long-lived, which means you won’t need to make as many replacements in X number of years, which in turn means fewer dead bulbs go to the landfill.

• Use Lighting Timers and Sensors

Lighting takes up a considerable percentage of any home’s electricity consumption. The Australian Government estimates that “Lighting in homes consumes 8–15% of the average household electricity budget (or about 6% of its energy use) although the makeup of the installed lighting technologies, lighting design and user behaviour can make a difference.”

You can bring that percentage down if you’re more mindful of how you use your lights. For example, if you are constantly leaving your lights on in rooms with no one inside, you can install motion sensors, which ensure your lights come on only when people are around.

On the other hand, timers ensure that your lights come on and off at specific times of the day. With a timer, you no longer have to worry about forgetting to switch off the porch lights.

• Minimise Your Electricity Consumption

Your efforts to save electricity don’t have to end with your lighting. It pays to be more mindful about how you’re using electricity in your home—you might be surprised just how wasteful your habits are. For starters, you can shut down appliances that aren’t in use. Your WiFi router is a good place to start—be sure to power it down at night.

You should also consider switching to more energy-efficient appliances, whether it’s a new refrigerator, air conditioner, or television with power-saving features.

• Bundle Up Instead of Turning Up the Heat

Your home’s HVAC system accounts for a significant percentage of your home’s electricity usage. As tempting as it is to turn your heat up to a balmy 26°C in the middle of winter, don’t be surprised if you end up paying a small fortune on your utility bill by the end of the month.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to rein in your heating costs. Instead of turning up the heat, simply put on an extra layer of clothing to keep yourself warm—you’ll be surprised how comfortable adding an extra layer of socks is.

Keep your thermostat to 17°C, which should keep your HVAC from using too much electricity. Once you’re in bed and bundled up underneath a comforter, you can even bring that down to around 13°C.

• Start a Compost Pit

Wondering what to do about all your food waste? You can start your very own home composting bin, where you can throw food scraps like old bread, fruit and vegetable peel and seeds, grains, coffee grounds, stale boxed foods like cereal, egg shells, and corn cobs among many others. Check out this great guide from Home Composting Made Easy to help you get started.

The great thing about living a sustainable lifestyle is that it’s far easier than it looks. Sure, it takes a little discipline to change certain habits like using plastic and saving electricity, but with time, these things will get easier.

Who doesn’t want to travel around the world, meet new people, and be exposed to other cultures? But other than making sure they’re comfortable when travelling, most people often don’t think about their cumulative effect on the places they’re visiting.

Unfortunately, the increase in tourism in many popular travel destinations has also resulted in an increase of pollution, and many of us are not even aware of the impact we leave as tourists. 

When travelling, think of it as being invited into someone else’s home. The last thing you want to do is to mess up their home, right? Likewise, to be a responsible tourist, also need to be conscious about things like waste management, recycling, and anything that has to with being minimising your impact on the environment.

Below are 10 simple tips to help you do just that.

1. Walk or Bike Around

Leave real footprints instead of carbon footprints.

If you can, walk or bike to the tourist attractions you’re looking want to visit. You get to save money, minimise your carbon footprint and get to be up close and personal with the place you are visiting.

If your destination is just a walking distance away, don’t get a cab. If you have to ride, use public transportation instead of getting a private car. Strap on your walking shoes and enjoy the sights.

Also, travel overland if possible. Taking out unnecessary airfare can reduce your carbon footprint dramatically.

• Bring Your Own Water Container

This helps in two ways. Not only do you save money on water (which can become a big expense the longer your travels are), you also won’t be leaving empty plastic water bottles around.

You’re most likely going to end up throwing or leaving a plastic water bottle anyway since you can always just buy another one. If you carry around your own water bottle though, you’re sure to always have water on hand, and you have less waste. You can always fill up on drinking water from the hotel or restaurants you visit.

• Save Water

Speaking of water, try to minimise your water usage. Clean water is still hard to come by in some areas, especially in islands that depend on regular shipments from the mainland.

For starters, you can avoid taking long baths and close the tap when you’re brushing your teeth, for example. Hang and reuse your towels instead of requesting for a new one every day. Most hotels actually remind you to help save on water by leaving reminders in the bathroom, so be conscious about this.

• Minimise Your Power Usage

Help save electricity by turning the lights off when you leave your hotel room. You might think that you’re only one guest and it doesn’t make a difference, but if everyone does their part in saving electricity, we can actually save a lot of power.

Other simple changes you can make include not leaving your key card on the central power slot of your room when you go outside, and switching off appliances like the television and air conditioner when you leave the room.

• Use Reusable Bags or Eco-bags

It can be hard to avoid using plastic bags, especially when you have to make unexpected purchases on your trip. But because plastic bags literally take thousands of years to naturally decompose, a more sustainable approach is necessary.

A reusable bag made from fabrics like jute, cotton, and canvas is not only a more sustainable option, it’s also more durable, carrying heavy loads safely and comfortable. Unlike single-use plastic bags, you don’t have to worry about a reusable bag being thrown in the ocean and choking out marine life.

Reusable shopping bags are just that—reusable. If you take care of your bag, it will last years. Many establishments and cities all over the world even observe a no plastic bag policy, so it’s always good to have one of these reusable bags in handy. If possible, refuse plastic bags when buying from stores or souvenir shops.

• Avoid Products with Non-biodegradable Packaging

Travel size packages of shampoo and soap are indeed handy, but they also mean that you have to generate unnecessary waste.

Instead of buying soap and shampoo outside, use the complementary ones given at the hotel. If you’re only out for a short trip, pack your own bathroom necessities from home in a reusable container. If you’re travelling with a group, buy one big container of shampoo or soap and share instead of buying multiple packets.

• Travel In Small Groups

While it’s true that travelling in a large group can save money on package deals, travelling in smaller groups also reduces your impact on the environment.

Instead, try to travel in groups with fewer than 10 people. Look for a tour operator who’s conscious about environmental friendliness—they will typically ask about how many people you’re going to travel. Other perks of travelling in small groups include ease of getting around and lower likelihood of losing track of one another.

• Stay on Trail When Hiking

While a number of us think that the ideal adventure is trailblazing along unknown paths, trails and walking paths are there for a reason.

First, it ensures you stay safe and prevents you from getting lost. Second, staying on the path also means reducing the likelihood of eroding the entire hiking site and keeps human activity to a single trail. Paths also prevent you from stumbling across flora and fauna in an unsustainable manner.

• Choose a Carbon Offset Adventure

Try to plan your trip with the goal of minimising your carbon emissions.

For example, instead of going to an attraction requiring you to travel several hours away from the airport, why not look for something to do and see close by?

Instead of renting a motorcycle to drive around a small island, rent a bike. Use reusable items rather than disposable ones to cut on waste. The whole point is to be conscious about your carbon footprint and trying t be aware of the emissions created by your accommodations, transport, and activities.

• Buy Local

When travelling, you as a visitor help to put money into the local community and economy.

When purchasing clothing and souvenirs, check the label to make sure it’s local. Eat in local eateries and restaurants that use locally sourced ingredients. This not only helps the local economy, it also minimises the amount of fuel emission and waste from having to ship products and food overseas.

Being eco-friendly shouldn’t end with you leaving your home, it’s a lifestyle that needs to be taken with you no matter where you go. The little things matter, so do your part to help save the environment wherever you go.

Every brand needs to put itself out there. Now, unless you’re a bigtime firm with loads to spend on advertising, a billboard and some TV ads is out of the question. What you need is maximum results for minimum cost.

Customized printed bags, to put it simply, have untapped advertising and branding potential.They can do a lot for your brand, and still benefit your customers and even the environment while you’re at it. The best part? Anyone can design and order printed bags.

There’s really no reason you shouldn’t try custom printed bags, but here are some reasons why you should.

1. Let others do the advertising for you

Why spend countless on advertising agencies when you can get people to advertise for free? Your customers carry the name and icon of your brand whenever they carry your custom bag. Naturally, this is great for letting people know about your brand. These bags could even be what your brand would come to be known for. In the end, custom shopping bags raise an organic awareness for your brand: how to push your brand without being pushy.

2. Save the environment – for a profit

Fabric and calico bags are fantastic substitutes to the classic plastic and paper bags. Reusability here, however, is more than just about being pro-environment, it’s also pro-your brand. Eco bags constantly getting used and reused means that your bags spend more time in someone’s hand and in the sights of potential customers. Additionally, in times where global warming and climate change are at the forefront of everyone’s concerns, being eco is great is a great way for a brand to be remembered by.

3. Every bag is a blank canvas

There are so many ways you could want to present your brand, making adaptability a key factor in any material. Custom printed bags put you in full control of your design. The bag’s the limit when it comes to your creativity and strategy. With so many bag options and details to choose from, every artistic spark is guaranteed a spot on the bag’s surface. No idea you could possibly come up with will be left out. Custom shopping bags ensure that your brand will be known exactly how you want it to be – leaving nothing to imagination but your own.

Tote bags are handy and convenient to carry around because of their size. They’re useful on the beach and in ordinary outings when you need a simple solution for carrying your purse, cellphone, makeup kit, sunglasses, and perfume among others.

Tote bags, however, aren’t exactly a new thing to have, which is why personalization is critical to ensuring they look fashionable. Of course, you don’t need to spend a lot of money in achieving that customization for your own stuff. For instance, you can create your own tote bags! DIY materials come quite cheap and, if you do your own labor, then you can save even more and spend only time.

Here are some DIY ideas for tote bags that you might want to think about.

1. Crochet Tote Bags

If you’ve got some skills in crocheting, put that to work by creating your own tote bags. You could aim for that wire mesh look that’s common with net bags, for instance, or you can crochet a closed bag and adorn it with your own embroidered design.

• Tote Bags From Old Clothes

If you got any articles of clothing you don’t want to wear anymore, or no longer fit you, sew them together as one main piece of fabric for a tote bag. The beauty of this approach is how it lets you create tote bags from whatever material your clothes are made of, whether it’s denim, oxford cloth, broadcloth, or corduroy. For best results, mix and match colors together for that unique look! All the materials you need are in your closet so you need not spend money looking for stuff to sew up.

• Painted Tote Bags

Do you have old tote bags that you think are looking too bland for the times? Take a few spray cans (different colors of course) and conjure up some creative idea as to what designs to paint on the tote bag.

This will transform your tote bag into a brand new item, although the base material itself is not new. You get to come up with your own designs too — sky’s the limit, after all, with your imagination.

These are just three tote bag ideas that you can create from recyclable materials at your home. Use a little bit of creativity and imagination, and you could make your own tote bags from virtually anything.

If you are looking for a quick and easy afternoon project, DIY paper bag decorating can be fun for the whole family. It is a great way to engage your children in crafts and have them explore their artistic sides. Trying new projects like adding doilies and ribbon, creating your own gift wrap, crafting paper flowers, and making paper bag kites, can keep you and your kids entertained for hours.

Read the Full Article here: http://tiny.cc/a6we6y

Kids a little bored? Have them make a paper bag puppet and put on a puppet show for you! They will have plenty of fun. Even better if you join them!

Have fun by putting on a puppet show for someone. Sit behind a couch or some other tall object and lift the puppets over the top of the couch. Make them dance, sing, tell jokes, or put on a play.

Every puppet is unique and you can do whatever you want with yours. Check the Full Article Here: http://tiny.cc/cuwe6y

If you’re going to be leasing temporary space in a supermarket or mall for a pop-up retail store, you might as well make the best out of it. Creativity is one of the keys to success, and you should be creative with your pop-up store if you want it to succeed.

Keep an Eye Out for Events

For starters, you will want to keep your marketing team on the lookout for events. Events are basically the best place to start if you want to jump into the pop-up retail scene. The organizers of these occasions practically do your marketing for you, as they will want to attract people in as well. All you need to do is to market both your pop-up retail and your involvement in the event.

In addition, most of the people who attend these events are guaranteed to step into your pop-up store and look through. This gives you the opportunity to get in touch with them in a personal manner, through which you can give out business cards and educate them about your brand.

Be Innovative With Your Interior and Exterior Designs

Of course, one of the ways through which you can catch the eye (and hearts) of your target audience is to be unique and innovative. Your customers have walked through countless retail store outlets and, whether you admit it or not, brick-and-mortar stores feel and look almost the same as one another.

Read Full Article Here: http://tiny.cc/mbpn6y