4 Ways to Invest in Green Every Day
Written By AD&V®
ABOUT THE AUTHOR | AD&V® is dedicated to advanced and energy-efficient sustainable architecture & interior design that enhances people’s experience of the world and improves their lives.
The Earth is at risk.
The only way we can help save Earth is if we each do our part to prevent global warming. This is why for our Earth Day initiative this year, we decided to keep with Earth Day 2022's official worldwide theme to "INVEST IN OUR PLANET" and created our own Invest in Green #ElPlanetaPaCuando campaign. Our Invest in Green campaign focuses on providing solutions to combat climate change, and encourage everyone — governments, citizens, and businesses alike — to do their part. This campaign is important to us because we believe that our social impact is not limited to what we design. We have a responsibility to our planet and our communities, and we take it very seriously.As part of the Invest in Green campaign, we developed a downloadable educational pamphlet that includes ways we can all reduce, reuse, recycle, and Invest in Green. Our hope is that this initiative inspires others to contribute to the greater good and create a better Earth for generations to come.
WHY JOIN US IN INVESTING IN GREEN?
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Creating and consuming goods creates tons of waste that ends up in landfills. Even though landfills were created to keep our communities clean, they pose a serious threat to the health of our environment. The garbage that ends up in landfills, releases large amounts of harmful greenhouse gases, and creates water and air pollution, making landfills huge contributors to global warming.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each person produces 4.40 pounds of garbage each day that adds up to the 230 million tons of municipal garbage produced each year.Working towards living a zero-waste lifestyle by reducing, reusing, recycling, and investing in green, will help to reduce our reliance on landfills, their impact on the environment, and their impact on human health and well-being.A healthy planet Earth is not an option, it is a necessity. There is no planet b. Take a look at different ways you can join us to reduce, reuse, recycle, and Invest in Green!
1. REDUCE
Reduce means to limit the amount of materials and goods you consume to minimize the waste you generate.Making a new product requires a lot of materials and energy. Raw materials are extracted from the Earth to fabricate a product, and then a product is transported to wherever it will be sold. This process depletes our natural resources, emits greenhouse gases, and creates waste that contributes to climate change.As a result, reducing your consumption of goods to produce less waste is one of the most effective ways you can save natural resources and protect the environment.
5 WAYS YOU CAN REDUCE:
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1. Reduce plastic consumption: Most of the plastic that humans use ends up in landfills, oceans, and the environment, which pollutes our soil and water, harms wildlife, and damages our health. To help save our planet from single-use plastic, reduce your consumption by switching to reusable items.2. Repurpose: Before throwing away items and adding even more waste to our landfills, see if you can find ways to repurpose them. You can use empty glass jars as flower vases, or even use egg cartons to organize smaller items. See how you can repurpose household items to reduce waste and help preserve the environment.3. Compost: Recycle food waste into compost to improve soil health, reduce greenhouse gases, recycle nutrients, and mitigate the impact of droughts. Locally, we have TAIS, a Puerto Rican company that offers Borikashi Kits so you can easily dispose of food residue at home or at work, and ferment organic matter. Visit TAIS to save organic resources.4. Save energy: The consumption of non-renewable energy leads to the overexploitation of natural resources, destroys habitats, and emits a large amount of toxic greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. Click here to learn how to save energy at home and help the environment.5. Go paperless: Paper production causes deforestation, uses enormous amounts of energy and water, creates air pollution and waste problems. Going paperless by opting in for paperless billing, creating cloud storage, and asking for digital receipts, helps reduce deforestation and pollution.
2. REUSE
Reuse means minimizing waste by maximizing resources and extending product lifecycles.It is the act of taking old items that you might consider throwing away and finding a new use for them. Reusing allows products to be used to their fullest lifecycle and prevents us from creating waste in the first place.Before tossing something in the trash, stop and ask yourself if it can be used for another purpose. Reusing helps conserve resources, makes needed items available to those who can’t afford to buy them, reduces the waste stream, and causes less pollution.
5 WAYS YOU CAN REUSE:
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1. Switch to rechargeable batteries: Rechargeable batteries are highly effective in reducing your carbon footprint and prevent countless single-use batteries from ending up in landfills. Replace single use batteries with rechargeable ones.2. Reusable paper towels: A single reusable paper towel cloth replaces 18 rolls of conventional paper towels, which helps you save not only money but also reduce a lot of waste. Reusable paper towels like the ones found here, lead to a further reduction in waste, greenhouse gases and diversion from landfills.3. Make the swap to reusable mop pads: One microfiber pad can replace up to 100 disposable mop pads while providing deeper cleaning. Use reusable mop pads to help you further reduce household waste and make a positive impact on the environment.4. Get reusable sandwich bags: It takes about 500 years for a plastic sandwich bag to decompose. Getting reusable sandwich bags like the ones offered by Russbe, lets you reduce your carbon footprint and helps keep countless disposable bags out of the world’s oceans, cities, and landfills.5. Change to reusable dryer balls: Reusable dryer balls are a long lasting, all-natural solution that can replace dryer sheets and decrease your drying time, saving energy and money. They're made from wool, last for over 1,000 loads, and can be fully composted. You can get yours by clicking here.
3. RECYCLE
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials toturn them into new products instead of throwing them away as trash.Recycling benefits your community and the environment. It prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials. It conserves natural resources, reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, saves energy, and helps create jobs in recycling and manufacturing industries.Some of the most common materials that can be recycled are: aluminum cans, magazines,glass containers, laundry detergent bottles, newspapers, and steel products.
5 WAYS YOU CAN RECYCLE:
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1. Recycle your e-waste: Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources, avoids air and water pollution, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing raw materials. ReciclaPR recycles e-waste in Puerto Rico. Call them at (787) 705-0899 to schedule a free pickup for your electronics or send them an email at info@reciclajepr.com.2. Take advantage of Terracycle’s recycling programs: TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Visit Terracycle to help the environment by saving energy, and natural resources.3. Recycle your car tires: Recycling old car tires benefits the environment by conserving landfill space and using the material to create new products. Eco Green Recycle Corp. is a tire recycling business in Puerto Rico that makes the Island a greener place by transforming used tires into new products. Visit Eco Green Recycle Corp.'s site for more information.4. Recycle everyday items with ConWaste: Recycling saves resources, prevents pollution, and supports public health. ConWaste operates the main recycling plants in Puerto Rico and offers a selection of Front Load containers that best suit your needs. To start recycling visit ConWaste and make sure you are in their pickup route.5. Recycle clothing: The clothes that end up in landfills, create greenhouse gases that escape into the atmosphere and accelerate climate change. PR Textile Recycling reuses and recycles post-consumer textiles in Puerto Rico with bins located across the Island where people can drop off unwanted clothing items. Check out their website to find the nearest container.
4. INVEST IN GREEN
Investing in Green means investing your time, money and energy on activities aligned with environmentally friendly practices and the conservation of natural resources.As individuals, we have the power to make our voices heard through our choices, our actions, and our personal interactions. You can make a difference anywhere by using your voice and committing to leaving the planet better than you found it. The effects of climate change can already be seen. The time to act is now. We must have the courage and willpower to do what's necessary to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods...together we must INVEST in Green!
5 WAYS YOU CAN INVEST IN GREEN:
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1. Buy local: Not only does buying local help your local community, but it also helps reduce our overall carbon footprint. Puerto Rico’s PRoduce is a multi-platform marketplace for local produce that connects Puerto Rican food producers with buyers. Visit PRoduce’s page to contribute to the local economy while reducing your overall carbon footprint.2. Plant a tree: Trees help control the temperature, prevent soil erosion, provide wildlife habitat, improve air quality, prevent floods, and support clean water production. To participate in planting workshops and activities in Puerto Rico, visit Para La Naturaleza for online reservations.3. Participate in beach cleanups: Beach clean-ups are an easy way to get involved in reducing plastic pollution and protecting marine life. Scuba Dogs Society is a Puerto Rican non-profit that organizes beach cleanup activities every year. Click here to check out the Scuba Dogs’ Calendar of Activities to register for one of their upcoming beach clean ups.4. Implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The SDGs are a set of 17 goals and 10 benchmarks set by the United Nations to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address global challenges of poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. If we all champion at least one Goal, our society will be better for all of us. Visit their website to start taking action for a better future.5. Switch to solar power: Not only do solar panels reduce your carbon footprint, but they also provide you with reliable energy at a lower cost. Power Solar Puerto Rico is a renewable energy company that designs and produces photovoltaic systems catered to the needs of consumers. Visit Power Solar Puerto Rico's website to learn more about their reliable technology.
DO YOUR PART
By reducing, reusing, recycling, and investing in green, we can become part of the solution.It's as easy as developing some new practices and sustainable habits that can be implemented inside and outside your home.When actions are taken to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Invest in Green you help save our planet by:
Keeping goods and materials out of landfills.
Advancing green technology and source reduction processing.
Creating less hazardous waste.
Reducing the need for new landfills and incinerators.
Generating new business and employment opportunities.
Reducing the strain on natural resources and safeguarding wildlife habitats.
Want to join us in Investing in Green and help save our environment? Show us your commitment by sharing an image on social media and tell us how you're Investing in Green with the hashtag #ElPlanetaPaCuando. Because a green future is a prosperous future! We are counting on you!