Tiffany Washko, NatureMoms.com
The 3Rs of environmentalism are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Recycle usually gets the most attention in the media but Reusing is my personal favorite. Why put all your energies into recycling your garbage when you can just create less garbage in the first place?
Reuse plastic bags from the grocery store or buy canvas bags to use instead of plastic ones. Use real plates, cups, and utensils instead of plastic. Reusables can be very fashionable and fun. Let me tell you about some of my favorite reusable items:
The Basura Bag: This grocery bag is a favorite. Basura bags are handmade using colorful recycled juice containers to form cool, one-of-a-kind styles. The totes are made in the Philippines by a women's cooperative, using used juice containers purchased through a network of local school children. Indestructible and non-biodegradable by nature, foil juice packs clog landfills, fields and streets throughout the Philippines. Using clever designs that combine the material's strength and brilliant colors, the co-op helps keep the environment clean via this very cool method of recycling.
The Laptop Lunch Box: The Laptop Lunch Bento Box is a lead-free tested lunch kit that enables parents to pack wholesome, low-waste meals for their kids. It uses a very cool bento box inspired setup that includes a snap shut tray housing 5 colorful FDA-approved microwave safe food containers and stainless steel utensils. It also includes an educational and comprehensive "User's Guide," with healthy lunch recipes and tips for reducing waste.
The Klean Kanteen Water Bottle: Klean Kanteen is a reusable, risk-free stainless steel container that does not leach toxins into its contents. Recent studies link toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA) to breast cancers and reproductive mutations. Plastics leach carcinogens including BPA during regular use, exposure to heat and especially after cleaning. From manufacturing to use and disposal, plastics pollute our health and environment. If you want a stainless tell cup for your little one you might try a stainless steel sippy cup from Foogo.
The Wrap-N-Mat: Simply fold around sandwiches, veggie sticks, cookies and other goodies, fold the cotton wrapper closed, secure with the Velcro closure, and they're ready to go. To top it off, these smart reusable sandwich wrappers unfold into placemats! The FDA approved food grade PEVA lining easily wipes clean after every use and is certified by the manufacturer to be totally lead-free. They're durable and will give you hundreds and hundreds of reuses.
All products mentioned above can be purchased at Reusable Bags.
Reusing items and giving them another life is a great way to avoid landfill waste and the fact that so many stylish reusables are on the market today makes it even easier for the green mom to make a commitment to environmentally conscious living.
译文:
不要舍弃
在环境决定论中我们有三个重要的词汇，它们分别是分解、再利用和循环使用。其中循环使用是各大媒体的最爱而我却对再利用情有独钟。如果一开始你就能不制造那么多的垃圾，事后又怎么会为怎样循环利用而费心呢？
重新利用那些杂货店里的塑料袋，或是用帆布袋代替塑料袋。餐具茶具等等也不要用塑料制品。这种再利用型的生活方式非常流行同时也会给你带来乐趣。现在我就来介绍一下我偏爱的方法吧：
手工袋：这种袋子现在很受欢迎，它由色彩各异的可回收的果汁容器手工制造而成，每个都有自己独特的风格。在一些菲律宾妇女的合作下完成，连果汁容器也是从当地学校的孩子那收购而来。不可自然毁灭和分解的特性可以使菲律宾的垃圾场、田地和道路免于果汁器皿的充斥。通过这种时尚的循环方法，加上材料自身强度和颜色的完美设计，这种组合很好的保护了我们的环境。
便携式午餐盒：经检验无铅含量的便携式午餐盒满足了父母为子女准备健康低浪费午餐的要求。它使用轻便的饭盒以及一些设备，这些设备包括可关上的五种颜色各异的小分格，符合食品与药物安全局核准的微波安全产品之中，和不锈钢器具。它同时还包含一个专业并且普遍能理解的用户指南，其中提供一些营养食谱和建议，更好的达到减少浪费的效果。
防毒瓶：这种瓶子属于再利用安全性高无毒副作用容器。最近的研究把双酚类的毒素与癌症和基因变异产生联系。而塑料制品则在正常使用、受热特别是清洗后容易吸收国际权威认证的致癌物质。塑料从生产经使用到处理无时无刻不威胁着我们的健康和环境。如果你想为孩子买个不锈钢杯子,那么你可以试一下来自Foogo品牌的不锈钢奶瓶。
简易包裹：简单的用它包裹住三明治、蔬菜枝、饼干等商品，用棉花附在上面盖住再加上尼龙布套住就可以了。当你想打开的时候就只要从掀起覆盖物到边上即可。经食品与药物安全局的认可这种内衬在使用过后很容易清理同时也有生产商充分验证的无铅证明。这种可持续性可以让你无限的使用。
以上提到的商品均可以在网站http://www.reusablebags.com/上购买到。
这些再利用的方法可以很好的避免地球污染，也可以避免现在市场上风行的那些行为，这些行为只能更刺激我们的地球母亲来承担这项保护环境的义务。