The First R

We buy things we don't need.

Our society is built on advertizing and coveting and purchasing things we do not need. Things we already have. Things that do not necessarily need to be replaced. But that we replace anyway so that we can have the best, look the best.

What does that have to do with being green, you ask? Well... think about it. What happens to the old stuff?

If you buy a bigger or flatter TV just so that it looks cool, what happens to the old one? What happens to your old cell phone that didn't have internet? What's more, a lot of computer stuff isn't recyclable. Our town dump won't accept TV's or monitors anymore. What does one do?

Everything you buy takes energy to make. It is most likely packaged, which creates waste. Probably in that horrifying plastic that you can hardly cut through - I can't tell you how many times I've cut myself on that stuff. And eventually these new things will break. And THEN what?

I'm not talking about things you need. I understand that a person might need a new computer. I'm talking more about... waffle irons that will be used four times and then break. Your fifteenth pair of shoes. Another set of wine glasses when the two sets you have are still intact. A set of plastic glasses you plan to only use for a summer. An I-pod when you already have an I-pod that works, but you want one in blue.

You can disagree - if you do, please say so - but I think that many of us get confused about the difference between NEED and WANT. I can hear my mother "What's NEED got to do with it? If you want it, buy it." And every once and awhile, yes, this is an OK thing to do. But the challenge is to think about it. To ask myself the question "can it wait?" After all, before Reuse and Recycle comes Reduce.