Waste Not Want Not.7 Ways To Help Mother Earth Right Now.

The coronavirus that is sweeping the globe has been a wake-up call to us all. Our consumer habits which led to this crisis have brought our world to a grinding halt. Our planet, Mother Earth, is on her knees.

Our planet is commonly referred to as Mother Earth because she is our mother. She is responsible for sustaining all life on this planet, nurturing and sheltering us all. Everything we own is taken from her bounty.

Mother Earth has rumbled away in discomfort showing us how she has been poisoned and wounded by our consumer ways. We continued to ignore her, Until now. Mother Earth has clapped back and it’s time to save our planet. To do so, we must mend our consumer ways.

The changes we will need to make will take time but there are ways you can help to save Mother Earth. Right here. Right now. One of them is to adopt a “Waste Not, Want Not” approach to your consumer habits.

For those of you who are ready to do the work to save our planet, here are seven ways to adopt a waste not, want not approach.

Refuse

Refuse all single use items. To give you an idea of the damage single use items cause to the planet, over 10 percent of single use plastics made in one year will end up in our oceans.

So, single use plastic used for plastic bags and water bottles is the perfect example but this can also apply to paper towels or milk cartons. Anything that is intended to be thrown away after one use should be refused.

Reduce

Reducing the amount that we consume is the next biggest step we can take.

We tend to follow “fads” and have become used to replacing household items, vehicles or clothing at the drop of a hat. We can reduce our consumer ways when we only replace items when we need to, not because of trends we want to follow.

Reuse

A waste not, want not approach means that we reuse everything we can. From furniture to our clothing, reusing glass jars or using life long shopping bags, once we adopt a reuse approach, our consumption habits will drop.

Also, chose to shop for pre-loved items in charity, thrift stores or online websites such as Ebay. Buying pre-loved items is one of the best ways to reuse items.

Refurbish

Refurbishing our old stuff, especially our furniture is an amazing way to help save the environment. I have always been a massive fan of the shabby chic approach to furnishing a home and adore pre-loved furniture and antiques.

With a lick of paint here or by adding a new piece of fabric there, refurbishing your current furniture or buying pre-loved second-hand instead of buying brand new is a great way to furnish your home and help Mother Earth too.

Repair

In times gone by, if something was broken, we would repair instead of replacing. From darning your old socks, to fixing electrical items that are faulty, repairing instead of replacing is a valuable way to reduce your consumption of the Earth's resources.

Repurpose

I am a massive fan of upcycling, where incredibly talented people reinvent items from all sorts of “junk” that we would normally throw away. An example are the wooden pallets used to transport fragile materials or small items stacked together. These pallets can be turned into all sorts of furniture for the home.

Remember, anything can be upcycled. Whether you choose to paint an old coffee table or reupholster your sofa or chairs, every time you choose to reuse something, you will be saving Mother Earth. Be creative and reinvent!

Recycle

If all else falls. Recycle. Recycling isn't limited to your household waste. There are many people in your neighbourhood who would love your old items. Take your old clothes and furniture to a charity or thrift store or sell online on Ebay to give someone else the opportunity to reuse your items instead of throwing them away.

Remember, we have been offered the opportunity to mend our ways for the sake of humanity, the planet and every living thing on it. With every consumer decision you make from now, ask yourself, are you helping or hindering Mother Earth? Waste not, want not, my friends. It's the way forward for us all.

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