1. RETHINK:Step back and think about the type of consumer you want to be and what this means for the environment.
2. REFUSE:Think before you buy and be prepared to not buy at all. Green consumersplace themselves at the start of the buy-and-use cycle. They buy less and buy products that do the least harm to the environment.
3. REDUCE:Buy less, buyproducts that have little or no packaging and that last a long time, borrow instead of buy, and compost. Items that are no longer needed or used are donated or sold.
4. REUSE:Upcycle instead of throwaway.Examples: glass jars can be used to store dry goods, old calendar pages are used as DIY envelopes, old toothbrushes are used to clean hard to reach places, empty toothpaste tubes are used as funnels.
5. REPAIR:Try to fix items before disposing of them. Our current culture has been called a "throwaway society" because more items endup in the landfill than needto. This harms the environment andusesmore of the earth's resources to make new items. Wecan help conserve the earth's resources by fixing things and participating in the "Repair Movement".
6. REGIFT: When youregift, you give someone a gift that you received from someone else. Don't feel guilty! Passing it on to someone who will enjoy it more than you is a good thing. You just need to follow this etiquette: You are certain the gift is something the recipient would enjoy.The gift is brand new and comes in its original box.The gift isn't handmade or a family treasure.
7. RECYCLE(Compost): Put things back into the waste stream to be used again for something else. Glass is used for roads, plastics are melted down to make new products, and the organic waste that we compost is used to fertilize our gardens.