COMM-ically Speaking

Environmentally-Friendly Ways to Communicate

By Deanna Lytle
April 1, 2006

They are the three R's that no one bothers to stress in school — reduce, reuse and recycle. To celebrate Earth Day this month, here are some ways you can employ the three R’s in communication.

Send an e-mail instead of a letter — Yes, there are times when a paper letter is more appropriate — interview thank-you notes and sympathy cards, for example. But more and more, people are switching to e-mail. You can e-mail your resume to employers. You can send greeting cards with animation online. Some couples are even sending their wedding invitations via e-mail. For each time you use e-mail, you're saving trees and reducing waste.

Reuse your old cards — During the holidays, people are inundated with greeting cards. Yet, they then go out and spend money on gift tags. The same thing happens for birthdays — lots of cutesy birthday cards and lots of gift tags bought for others’ birthdays during the year. Reuse those old cards and save money. Cut away the cover of the greeting card (the part with the pretty picture) and recycle the rest. Then, affix the cover to a present and write "To:" and "From:" on it. Ta-da! You have a recycled gift tag. Note: Try to make sure you don’t give the gift tag back to the person who sent you the card originally.

Reuse boxes and packaging materials — When it's time to ship that treasured trinket to a loved one, scour your house before buying new boxes, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, etc. You can reuse many of these materials to safely pack and ship your item. And if you don't have any reusable items, look for biodegradable options. I searched online and found packing peanuts made of cornstarch and others that dissolve under running water.

Share books and comic books with others — It's tempting to just dump all those old paperbacks that have been sitting in the basement. But share your love of reading and pass those books on to others who can use them. Your local library may be taking donations, and charities often hold special reused book sales. Ask around at schools and children’s organizations. You may be surprised who will take a donation.

Don't buy in to the disposable DVD trend — It's the "new" concept in renting and another industry attempt to curtail pirating. Disposable DVDs can only be viewed within 48 hours of opening the package. After two days, the bonding resin on the disc reacts with the air and makes the disc unreadable. And then, the disc is thrown away and ends up in a landfill. Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather rent from the local store or borrow it from the library.

Recycle your old cell phones — As with the DVDs above, old cell phones litter the landfills and contaminate the soil and water. Some of the substances in cellular phones include arsenic, beryllium, lead and cadmium. And that doesn’t even include what’s found in their batteries (cadmium cobalt, zinc or copper, depending on the type). So if you have to upgrade for new features or if old celly finally died on you, consider donating. Charitable Recycling takes all unwanted phones — no matter the age or condition.

Don’t forget about computers/laptops — Recycle or donate computers and hardware once you’re done with them. And for those of you who think this may be a hassle, a quick online search shows there are nonprofit organizations that will pay all shipping costs — whether your system is in working order or not.

Read the news online — I know there are certain papers only available in print, but try an organization’s Web site to get your news. You may have to register or pay a subscription fee, but you’d have to pay something for a hard-copy subscription anyway. There will be fewer papers in the garbage. And you can e-mail the editor immediately if you get irate from reading a news story.

The Golden Rule for Earth Day and Everyday: Be conscious of recycling opportunities — Despite my workplace having paper recycling bins next to all printers, I find computer print-outs in the trash. Don't toss something in the garbage without considering the recycling opportunities. Sometimes moving to the trash bin is an automatic response. Stop a moment and think about how you can reduce, reuse and recycle. Start a mulch pile for leftover food scraps (this will save you some dough on fancy fertilizers later). Donate old clothes or furniture to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Don't use a bag when you mow — let the clippings fall on the grass and become a natural fertilizer. I don't doubt the resourcefulness of ST readers to come up with hundreds of ways to be kind to Mother Earth.

Charitable Recycling