We have heard of global warming. We have seen its effects on our planet in a number of ways. What can we do to ‘save’ mother earth?
We can put into practice the next two Rs in the 3 ‘R’s, that is to reuse and recycle. Ah… a good idea especially when the cost of living is on the rise with each passing year. I like craft work and I recycle fabric material into various items. I have made crochet floor rugs from strips of old bedsheets, pot holders, wallets or purses from fabric scraps. These items are appreciated as gifts by my friends. To have an idea of sewing a simple potholder, just head over to videos shared in YouTube. So, let your creativity flow and recycle your fabrics. Doing this can also be therapeutic.
Other than fabrics, we can recycle our glass mason jars, jam bottles to store our snacks, nuts or pickles. I recycle wide mouth glass bottles to store drinking water or juices. These are definitely better choices than plastic bottles or containers.
Recycle all your office paper which is printed only on one side into simple little note pads for personal use. You can easily make pretty note pads as little gifts. There are also various kinds of paper craft that one can learn, using old ‘ang-pao’ packets, colourful strips of paper from magazines and the like.
What about visiting thrift shops to hunt for good bargains? ‘Jalan Jalan Japan’ has been a favourite with many. You can actually get all kinds of stuff there – clothes, shoes, bags, dining ware, accessories, musical instruments or even toys. Some other thrift shops include ‘Bless Shop’ or ‘Kedai Bless’ and ‘Second Street’. There are other thrift shops that pay you some cash for your ‘unwanted’ items. ‘Cash Converters’ is a place that you can sell or buy. ‘Refash’ also accepts clothes that you intend to discard. So, instead of just throwing away clothes that no longer fit, do give them a new lease of life. Conversely, stretch your ringgit and hunt for bargains at the various thrift shops. If you care to really browse through, you may get some new, unused items!
Last but not least, if you have no interest in spending time to recycle as suggested above, then do make an effort to sort out your trash and place them in recycle bins to be collected by companies that do recycling of paper, glass or fabric. A small change in an individual’s daily effort can make a big change collectively towards sustainable living.
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