Donna's Healthy Living Tips

My dad had his hip replaced in early fall of 2006.  Because Mom was working as a teacher at the time we kids took turns staying there, helping Dad and making sure he didn’t break too many rehab rules.  One funny moment was when he had a piece of medical tubing that had been used and we offered to toss it in the trash for him and he said, “No, this is a great piece of tubing.  It will come in handy for something.”  If you go into my dad’s work area you will see there are lots of things that will “come in handy for something” and they often did.

I am not advocating keeping as many parts as my dad did.  We should each be realistic and keep what we will likely use.  My dad was very handy and he put scrap metal to use in our childhood swing set and  monkey bars; he would scavange an electrical cord from a dead fan and use it to fix the vacuum cleaner cord; he was pretty brilliant.  Let’s think about the average person.  What is about to go in your recycling bin or in the trash that you could re-use?  Here are a couple suggestions:

• Cut the bottoms of cereal boxes and use for drawer dividers in the kitchen or desk.
• Cut the top off a gallon milk jug, leaving the handle in place as a storage spot for the kitty litter scoop.
• Use newspapers for mulch and weed control for your garden.
• Take a brick or rock and cover it with pretty fabric for a door stop.
• Give toilet paper tubes to your neighbor’s gerbil to chew up.
• Take glass or clear plastic bottles and jars with screw on lids; attach the top of the lid to the underside of a shelf and then screw in the jar so the jar looks like it is suspended in air.  It is a great way to store nails/fasteners/small trinkets.

Does that get your brain going?  Special thanks to Susan Hunsberger (professional organizer at www.SusanHunsberger.com) for some of those suggestions.

REDUCE

To reduce our consumption of resources sometimes sounds like we are going to live unpleasant, meager lives with gruel for breakfast with no sweetener.  I like to consider reduction of consumption to be more like a game, a challenge.  Again, I am not suggesting we change everything at once but make small continual changes until we develop new habits.  We Americans are in the terrible habit of consuming way more than our portion of the earth’s resources and if you don’t think that is a problem, I refer you to the website www.theStoryOfStuff.com which has a great 20 minute video on it that explains why this is a problem.

Every time you choose to not purchase something thinking, “I don’t really need that” you are reducing your consumption.  When you turn down your thermostat, combine errands, only run the dishwasher when it is full, or choose the local farmer’s market for seasonal produce, you are reducing your use of energy.

Children especially don’t equate leaving a light on unnecessarily with burning more coal in a power plant.  Using a concept I like to call “Drip Education” gives soundbites of information to kids rather than a five minute lecture on the evils of leaving the water running while you are brushing your teeth.  Here is an example: You are in the grocery store with your child buying recycled toilet paper and right on the packaging it says how many trees were saved and how many gallons of water not used by purchasing this product.  Say something like, “Hey, Sam, look at this information on recycled toilet paper.  This looks really interesting can you read it to me while I pick out our eggs?”  After it is read, say, “Can you imagine how much space it would take to grow [that number] of trees?”

So as you prepare your grocery list or get your recyclables ready for the curb, think about where you can reduce or eliminate packaging (hint: don’t buy “Lunchables”) in your daily life; how can you re-use something you have already purchased; where can you exercise some ingenuity and not only save the planet a bit of trouble but also save yourself a bit of cash at the same time.  Good luck!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who believes in doing well and doing good at the same time.  Share your favorite “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” tips in the comments section.  You can get more information on why Donna is so passionate about Shaklee at: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland