THE COMMON GOOD OF THE THREE ECOLOGICAL Rs (CHAPTER 1) REDUCE

The three R’s rule is a simple and practical approach to ecological habits. It originated with the non-governmental organization Greenpeace and was supported by Japan at the G8 Summit in 2004. Today it is promoted in companies, organizations, educational centers, public and private entities, and among citizens in general.

This idea promotes three basic actions to reduce waste production and thus contribute to the protection and conservation of the environment in a more responsible and sustainable way.

We will begin with the first, REDUCE. It consists of reducing the consumption of products and raw materials. By reducing consumption, we have a positive impact on three major problems that strongly affect the environment:

1. Less raw material is extracted for the production of new products.
2. Pollution generated by new product factories is reduced.
3. The waste generated after the use of a product is reduced.

Reducing has to do with becoming aware that:

• we can live with less stuff,
• we create needs that are not real,
• resources are not unlimited.

How can we make this habit of reducing concrete?

• By making a shopping list so that we do not buy compulsively or get carried away by advertising.
• Make a budget (weekly or monthly) of what and why I am going to buy certain products or services.
• Use cloth bags to avoid consuming so many plastic bags.
• Use collective transportation (private or public) to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle overcrowding.
• Reduce or even eliminate the consumption of certain products that are harmful to health or that are produced by seriously eroding the environment or based on labor exploitation. This includes both content, packaging and services.
• Simple habits such as reducing the hours of electrical energy use (turning off lights when not in use, residual lights from power strips, microwaves, etc.); reducing water use (turning off water faucets, optimizing watering of plants at cooler hours, shorter showers).

It is important to realize that reducing is not only giving up or lacking, on the contrary, we obtain many benefits besides extracting less raw materials, generating less pollution and waste. We obtain:

• Better quality of life, since we take care of our health by consuming healthier products.
• Greater freedom and control of our actions and decisions.
• By consuming less, we accumulate less and gain in space and order.
• We have more time for other things, since our needs are based on our priorities and not on compulsive actions.

Marisa Folgado