REDUCE: when we think about consumption from a personal perspective it is something we take for granted. We think: “of course this is what I/we “NEED”. And so it goes each and every day. But when we stop to think about the reality of that unconscious statement we can recognize that there is a difference between NEED and WANT. If we consider this distinction we will better be able to REDUCE our consumption and broaden our perspective to consider the planetary and other humans’ needs.

REUSE: There is a process in which the utilization of any object or article occurs. It is often mechanical or automatic. As we near the subjectively defined and even objectively defined ‘end’ of it’s ‘life’ the inevitable conclusion we come to is to ‘discard’ it or may be even trade it in. The latter is a reasonable conclusion in various circumstances, as with a car. However when we consider getting another of whatever it is we have discarded or traded do we consider buying a used one? This is another dimension of conservation.

RECYCLE: In most cases we think of recycling as a once weekly routine involving discarded paper(s) cardboards, plastics, glass and metals. Instead, lets consider recycling as a daily routine involving not just these objects but anything that can be reused, or returned to a depository so that we can be part of the process which can ‘transform’ the object i.e., paper, glass, plastic, metal, cardboard itself. In addition, we can even consider transforming that same object into something useful for ourselves, that is, something you would recycle but instead create another use for that object. These various forms of recycling create a more sustainable lifestyle and ultimately a CULTURE of sustainability!

RECALIBRATE: When we think in a different, outside the box way about anything, we create more ways of seeing any situation. The Greek word “Metanoia” refers to creating a new mind, a new way of seeing that can translate into a new way of thinking, believing and even living. The lifestyle embedded in a sustainable, ecocentric worldview can not only create more time and energy and peace for YOU but also reverberates into the immediate environment of your family and community and even the world you live in. The ultimate goal of engaging each and every one of these R’s is exactly this: A new way of being in the world that is sustainable and more creative and peaceful.