Reduce: The Importance of Cutting Down Waste

Image by Alex Proimos / Creative Commons

One of the most important steps, albeit one of the most simple, that any one person can take to curb their environmental impact is to reduce. The importance of cutting down waste, which starts with reducing consumption, is something people often overlook.

Now the minimalist takes this to the extreme by living without some of the creature comforts that you and I have come to know and love. The rest of us, however, can still take steps to reduce our consumption, thus lowering the amount of waste we generate and making a difference in the world around us. After we work on reducing, if we recycle and reuse as much as we can, our waste levels can go down even further.

Why is all of this important? Because it is like the proverb says, “Waste not, want not“. If we want to have resources to use in the future, we need to be sure not to waste them in the present. Take a look at some other famous quotes on the importance of reducing and cutting down waste:

“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” – Ancient Indian proverb

“Conservation means development as much as it does protection. I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” – Proverb

“There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” – Mother Teresa

“Make less, buy less, use less, throw away less.” – Akiko Busch

In all honesty, it couldn’t get more simple than that. So before you buy something new, ask yourself if you really need that item. Before you throw something away, ask yourself if you can reuse or recycle it. Cutting down waste starts with reducing our consumption levels. Try it and I bet you’ll find you are less wasteful.