Where Litter Lies, Beauty Dies

Hey everyone, 

Sorry for being gone for so long, but the month of May is an incredibly busy one. The post for today doesn't have an immense amount to do with agriculture, but it does tie in with the cleanliness of our environment, which evidentially  links back to the world of ag! 

The four R's: 

Reduce 

Reuse

Recycle 

Recover 

I'm sure that we all know the definitions of these words, and have been lectured over the topic near to 1000 times! But can you honestly say that you know why these four words are important? Are they truly the answer to beauty and cleanliness within our environment, or are they just something that people lean towards to make them and their litter seem more presentable and accepted by society? 

I personally believe that the four R's or recycling have the ability to shape our community, and allow natures beauty to shine through without the thick layer of garbage and waste getting in the way. My intention for this post is to help YOU, and yes I mean all of you, understand the importance of throwing your empty pop can into the green recycle bins available near most garbage bins, instead of carelessly lobbing it into the trash. 

So here we go, first off, Reduce! 

-Reduction is the first step.  When you purchase items at the store think about all the packaging used in each product.  A cereal box has a box and an inner bag. Buying in bulk allows more space to be filled within that bag and therefore less trash to be consumed.

-Then comes Reuse.Each item made can be reused as another item.  For instance, a milk jug can be used to store drinking water or even, after cutting off the top, it can be used as a planter.  Each time you can reuse an item, you minimize the amount of trash going into landfills and allow less energy to be used to produce more goods, therefore resulting in a positive effect for our world! 

-Next off, Recycle! Items that have been reused can also be recycled.Objects that can be recycled depends on the market and the recycling programs within your area.  Usually, however plastic soda bottles and milk jugs, green and clear glass, cardboard, newspaper, and aluminum cans are recycled.  There are some places that recycle magazines, tin cans, and a myriad of other things.  Even your nearest grocery store is trying to take an action in saving our environment by allowing plastic and paper bags to be dropped off as recycling at their stores.

-Last, but not least, Recover. Buy recycled items.  Without a consumer demand for recycled items, there is too much supply left in stockyards.  The more recycled items that are purchased by consumers, the lower the prices will go.  Buying recycled items is the most important part of the cycle.  Without people to produce such items, companies do not have enough money to keep recycling factories open.

Highway Cleanup Crew

The importance of these four R's may be as clear as mud to you, you may be confused and unaware of what exactly the conditions of the environment has to do with you. This is why we need to get the knowledge of the importance of recycling out. If we better the conditions of our environment, ecosystems will gain strength and become healthier, and pollution will not be tormenting the very existence of our world. We all can take part in small actions that will better the environment, so why not start by putting your soda can in the recycle bin, or taking your own bags to the grocery store with you! 

4-H Club Highway Cleanup 2011

A small way that I have gotten involved with bettering our environment is by participating in Highway cleanup. For those of you who are unaware of what highway cleanup, it is when an organization or group cleanup the ditches along highways by picking up the garbage that motorists leave behind. 






The garbage within the ditches acts as a pollutant to our Earth because it is not bio degradable. As a 4-H club, we attend the event of cleaning the ditches every year, so for the past 8 years, I've been out picking up garbage that other people choose to leave behind. One of the most rewarding things about highway cleanup, is the drive back home afterwards. Often, you cant even tell that the ditches have grass in them due to the large build up of litter, but after a highway cleanup crew goes through, the beauty is uncovered and there for everyone to enjoy. Where litter lies, beauty dies. Please remember to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover, it will allow for all of the beauty within out world to be brought back to life! 


-Jess