Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

It was 1988. Third grade, Calgary Olympics, something that was introduced. Something new, something blue. There was something new that was introduced: the little blue box. Little did we know changed the way we sorted our garbage and with it came 3R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Thirty years later we are more revolutionized than we were back then, but how much do we actually reduce? Reuse has become extremely fashionable especially among millennial's and hipsters. How many times has it become fashionably cool to drink water from a mason jar and pay top dollar to wear “vintage”. You can thank Nirvana for the 1991 for reuse and vintage. Reduce at this point, we’ve got a ban on plastic straws and shopping bags, thanks to the ripple effect stemming from California laws.  

We reduce our garbage, our packaging, and things we are throwing away - but have we actually reduced what’s going down our drains? I’m not talking about pouring coffee grounds down the drain vs your matcha latte. We’re talking about the products you use to clean your bathroom, wash your laundry, do your dishes, and we’re also talking about the shampoo you wash your hair with. Yes we’re inclined to buy those “organic veggies” and make sure they're in a reusable bag. Who isn't on board with that? We then go home, wash our hair with a product called “sodium laurel sulphate’. We then read the  newspaper in absolute horrification about the orca killer whale who’s actually dying. We are aware to not buy farmed fish, but did you think about the last time you flushed a baby wipe down the toilet or bleach?!

While we may be concerned about what we’re putting on our faces, why are we not concerned about the products we are using on our dogs?

Punchline: unless it’s trendy, it's visible, or affects your appearance quite literally, do you care to acknowledge what you’re putting down the drain because it’s “out of sight out of mind”!? Maybe the package gets recycled but what happens to the chemical & waste within the package? It’s plain to see and can’t be ignored, it’s in results we’re shared on the daily.

Reducing on the chemical level, reduces your carbon footprint. What’s going down your waters. Reducing soap you wash dishes with.

Our point and food for thought today is "are you walking your carbon footprint talk?" Think about it. More to come...