![]() I say Cheers to you in the new year and hope that our country will be a place where kindness and understanding prevail, and where all hearts are united in making the world a better place for everyone. With the holidays rolling around, and the frenzied shopping experiences of mass consumerism, it reminds me of the historic release in 2007 of The Story of Stuff, a groundbreaking video opening our eyes to consumerism. It is worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch. And speaking of Stuff … Wrapping paper and packaging are such a waste. Did you know that every year in the US, depending on the source, somewhere around 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper is produced with about half of that being thrown into the waste stream. That is an average of 277,000 miles of wrapping paper during the holidays, which is enough to circle the earth about 10 times, or the distance to the moon! Online shopping became a way of life particularly during COVID. There is 4.8 times more packaging compared to in-store buying, and shipping of returns from online shopping accounts for about 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. And, a lot of what is returned ends up in the landfill as it may cost more to process and reship then trashing it.
I’ve been keeping a list of ideas about reducing waste, and this month seems like the perfect month to share. Consumer Waste:
So much of what we buy, just to get a gift, is soon thrown away. Try these alternatives:
There are so many resources for making your holiday season more earth-friendly – I encourage you to take some time to think about what you can do. Here are a few to check out: While we’re on the topic of recycling, here’s a quick and easy reminder of what you can and can’t recycle locally. |
Shenandoah Myrick
Sterling Real Estate Group
Managing Broker
2011 Young Street Suite 101
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-303-9083
Shenandoah4homes@gmail.com
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