Natural Ways North Haven Can Thank Nature

North Haven recently celebrated Earth Day by bringing together students and residents along with environmental groups, as mentioned in this CT Post Chronicle article. What caught my attention was that local students had set up tables with items that were made from recycled material. I think that’s a great way to thank nature, and help conserve our resources.

One way to help nature is to reuse and recycle the things we use to avoid excess waste, which often finds its way into landfill, contaminating the land and water. Here are a few ideas to get you started in the right direction.

1. Try to buy items which don’t have excess packaging. Look for things whose packaging material can be easily recycled. Purchase items that you use on a daily basis in bulk – you’ll save money and also reduce waste.
2. Buy products that can be reused. Try to do away with plastic bags and disposable dishes. Use a cloth bag instead whenever you step out to the store and buy silverware which can be washed and reused time and again.
3. Save the incessant felling of trees by minimizing paper waste. Unsubscribe from mailing lists which clutter your mailbox with spam. Make scratch pads and post-its from used pages or use them in crafts activities for kids.
4. Invest in a compost bin for all your food scraps and yard trimmings. Food and yard waste constitute a large part of the trash found in landfills. Composting is very nature-friendly and also yields rich fertilizer that you can use for your own plants and lawn.
5. Donate items that are of no use to you anymore to the under-privileged. Books, toys, shoes, clothes, furniture can all be put to good use by donating them to foster homes and homeless shelters. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation is involved with helping those in need by collecting items from you and giving them to the needy. Pick up the phone and call them – what better way to minimize waste and give back to the environment and your community!
6. Just like paper and plastic, metal too is a recyclable commodity which most of us don’t realize. Recycling metal scrap is a great way to give back to the nature and make some quick bucks as well. For instance, the facility operated by Sims Metal in North Haven is one of the many scrap yards that accepts all kinds of metal scrap.
7. Don’t dump appliances that aren’t functioning. Try to fix them. They usually contain toxic chemicals that can seep into groundwater and pollute lakes and rivers. Sims Metal also purchases electronic scrap, and you can get more information about them by visiting http://www.manta.com/c/mmpl1j6/sims-metal-mgmt-connecticut.

It’s time we gave back to nature, because if we don’t, it won’t be long before we realize we are running out of our natural resources like fossil fuel, metal, etc. Reduce, reuse, recycle – three small words that are big enough to make a powerful impact and help preserve nature for generations to come.