How to Use and Apply The 7 R’s of Sustainability

In our quest to live more sustainably, there’s a set of guiding principles that can help known as The 7 R’s of Sustainability. It encourages us to minimize waste, conserve resources, and live more harmoniously with our environment. You might already know the top three principles: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Understanding and applying these principles can make a significant impact in our daily lives, because it encourages us to use what we have and reduce our overall consumption. Let’s dive into each of these seven principles and discover how they can transform our daily lives.

We’re all consumers. What we buy and how we dispose of waste can harm the environment. A big part of a “green choice” life is choosing the type of consumer we’re going to be. Green consumers think about the environmental impact of what they buy and whether they need to buy at all.

CITY OF WINNIPEG, 7 R BASICS – GREEN CHOICES.

1) Rethink Convenience plays a huge role in our society, which is why it’s important to re-evaluate our everyday choices and conventional practices. Our actions, big or small, have a broad impact. By identifying more sustainable alternatives, we can make more informed decisions.

Example: Rethink your transportation methods, meal prep to cut back on single-use plastic containers and focus on quality over quantity when it comes to new purchases.

2) Refuse Be discerning about what you consume by avoiding single-use products, excessive packaging, and anything that contributes to unnecessary waste. By refusing to support unsustainable practices, we can drive demand for more eco-friendly alternatives and reduce our overall footprint.

Example: Refuse items that include excess and unnecessary packaging, such as fruits and vegetables that are wrapped in plastic at the grocery store.

3) Reduce Reducing involves cutting back on the number of resources and waste we generate. It’s about making conscious choices to use less and minimize our consumption. This can be as simple as buying fewer items, choosing products with minimal packaging, or reducing energy and water usage.

Example: Invest in quality, durable goods that have a longer lifespan, rather than frequently replacing cheap, disposable items. Not only does this add to our landfills, but it costs more money in the long run.

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4) Reuse Find new ways to use items instead of discarding them. This principle encourages us to repair, repurpose, and creatively reuse materials to extend their lifecycle. Reusing not only conserves resources but also reduces waste.

Example: Clean and reuse empty sauce jars for storage containers, turn old t-shirts into dust or dish rags, and use fabric scraps to repair and mend clothing. 

5) Repair These days it’s become so common to replace items without a second thought. The principle of repair focuses on fixing and maintaining items instead of throwing them away. Repairing products helps to conserve resources and reduces the demand for new goods. It also promotes a culture of valuing and caring for the things we own.

Example: Mending your clothing by hand or bringing it into a local shop for alterations, repairing electronics such as your phone or laptop, and troubleshooting before replacing your items.

6) Repurpose Repurposing involves taking something that has outlived its original use and giving it a new function. This principle is about creativity and innovation, finding ways to adapt and reuse materials for different purposes.

Example: Repurposing your old dresser with a fresh coat of paint and new knobs, turn wooden crates into bookshelves or storage bins, and using old newspapers to wrap gifts or to protect fragile items in storage. 

7) Recycle When an item can no longer be reused or repurposed, that’s when recycling comes into play. It’s the very last step because it’s reported that only 9% of plastics are recycled in Canada. It’s important to take the proper steps to ensure that what we’re putting in our bins actually gets recycled. 

Example: Check your city’s website to see what goes where. Separate items accordingly and clean out tin cans and glass to ensure they are processed and reused effectively.

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By adopting these 7 principles, we can collectively make a significant difference in reducing our environmental impact. Start with one or two of these principles, and gradually integrate more as you become comfortable. The journey toward sustainability is a process and every effort helps pave the way to a healthier planet. What action are you taking already? I’d love to hear your thoughts.