Reduce, reuse, recycle plays important role in society

Stella Powers

trends editor

For over 50 years, environmental activists have used the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” in an attempt to make people more environmentally conscious.

According to the Smithsonian Institution, the phrase was created by Gary Anderson, a senior at the University of Southern California in 1970.

“To combat the proliferation of consumer waste, environmentalists encouraged everyone to embrace the ‘3 R’s,’” says the Smithsonian Institution website.

Lucia Perfetti, president and founder of the Green Club at WHS, shares that the environment is important to her due to memories she has related to it.

According to Perfetti, the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” has been around for a long time; however, it changes over time with environmental movements.

“Right now, I would say the saying applies to parts of our daily life that we don’t really think about, like fashion, and energy,” shared Perfetti. “It is so easy to cut down (or reduce) our individual impact on the planet by using less electricity and gas.”

Pros of EVs

the atmosphere, so not only is deforestation displacing animals and killing them, but it is also causing more pollution.

Governments around the world are the only ones that can stop deforestation indefinitely, but there are ways that regular citizens can help too. One can reduce the amount of paper products that get used, stop using palm oil, recycle paper products, and donate to organizations like the Borneo Project, according to greentumble. com on the 15 strategies to reduce deforestation. Helping save the environment and planet is important to many. Ashley Schroer (12), a WHS student who is concerned about the environment, says that some ways to help the environment is by, “...recycling, avoiding over consumption, picking up trash, and donating to wildlife protection charities.” Schroer said this issue is important because, “...it could help plants and animals not become extinct and it would help stop global warming and global climate change which both have effects on human health.”

Another student at WHS who is concerned about the environment is Mira Flox (10).

Flox said that “The usage of motorized vehicles includes lithium mining, which is extremely dangerous for the ecosystem.”

Flox sees that it is due to the fact that “...fossil fuels release high amounts of carbon.” And believes that “An overall cut back on individual transportation can make an impact, with only using public transport or manual bicycles for long distance.”

The environment is, and will continue to play, a vital role in the prosperity of the human race. Without conscious thought or action to improve the environment, we will be the cause of its, the only planet that we know of that is habitable, destruction.

Importance of recycling

LILY CAMPBELL-LEHTINEN

For Perfetti, “reuse” is the most important part of the phrase.

“I love my clothes, but often have to remind myself that it is healthier for our planet if I wear clothes until they absolutely cannot be used anymore, rather than throwing them somewhere like Goodwill, which is already overwhelmed with donations,” Perfetti said.

Once clothes are beyond repair, Perfetti shares that her family will often cut the old clothes into rags to use around the house.

Erin Petruzzi, WHS Science Dept. member and adviser of the Green Club, shares that it is important to reduce, reuse, and recycle because it helps to save resources and minimize waste.

According to Petruzzi, “Reduce, reuse, recycle is an attitude or philosophy associated with consumerism. Reduce means limit what you use. Reuse means to repurpose or upcycle items before recycling or disposing of them. Recycle means to contribute the materials to a program that will process them to create new products rather than send them to a landfill.” staff writer

As it encourages people to do their part in making a difference, the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” has become a really important part of the environmental movement.

According to National Geographic, Earth Day is a day dedicated to protecting the planet from deforestation and pollution. National Geographic also mentions that one excellent way to help the planet is by recycling often by saying: “Before you throw something away, think about how it can be recycled or repurposed.”

Wendy Bullock, Outreach Coordinator at the Stark Tuscarawas Wayne Recycling District states on the topic of recycling that it helps the earth by saving energy, creating jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries, conserves natural resources like timber, water, and minerals, and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Bullock also states that “Recycling gets down to one person taking action. New products can be made from your recyclable waste materials. Recycling is good for our environment, our communities, and our economy.” staff writer

Steve Tharp, Program Manager at the Stark Tuscarawas Wayne Recycling District, offers some other helpful information about items that can be recycled for the general population.

Tharp states that pill and medicine bottles can be recycled, as long as they have a head and neck and are longer than a credit card.

Plastic milk jugs can be recycled as long as they are clean.

Shredded paper cannot be recycled, instead it must be placed in the trash.

However, regular paper can be recycled as long as it is loose in the recycling bin.

Earth day this year will take place on Saturday, April 22 and will work towards protecting the environment.

Electric car sales are on the rise with their promise of a better future and cleaner environment. In 2022, more than 800,000 electric cars were sold in the US.

Also, in 2022, electric vehicle sales jumped from 3.2% to 5.8% of all vehicles sold in the United States. According to Kelley Blue Book, “At the end of 2022, the average price of an electric vehicle was $61,488…”

The move to electrification will be gradual as communities need time to adjust. A lot of rural communities do not have the amount of charging stations that urban communities have. You can have a charger installed in your house, but that also increases your electric bill.

In Wooster, there are eight charging stations all of which are located downtown. The popularity of electric cars has spread to Wooster and Wayne County, “I would say that the biggest impact is that we have an industrial base that works in the automotive industry and that those companies are making a transition and looking to the future on how they can grow that business for themselves as well and capitalize on the trend and transition.” said Maribeth Burns, the President of the Wayne Economic Development Council. Charging an electric vehicle is half the cost of filling up a gas car. The average price of gas in 2022 was $3.61 per gallon while on average it only cost $56 per month to charge your car at home. You fill up your car more than once a month, so it is less expensive to charge an electric car. According to MotorTrend, “The state of Ohio ranks No. 21 in charging costs in the U.S…” In Ohio, it costs $5.66 to fully charge a Tesla Model 3, $7.36 to fully charge a Volvo XC40, and $12.37 to fully charge a Ford F-150 Lightning. There are many charging networks across the US that you can use to charge your car if you do not have a charger at home such as Electrify America and EVgo. Electric cars are more feasible in rural areas than people may think, “I think that Wayne County has always done a good job of looking into the future and trying to prepare for changes that are likely to occur. So even in rural communities you’ve seen municipalities and villages take a look at adding charging stations in their communities and trying to get prepared for what’s likely to be a transition.” Electric cars in rural areas are more feasible and not as out of reach as some may think.