Nature's Gate, Recycling, and you!

Recycle

Recycling is critically important in order to get the most out of our resources and to maintain a healthy balance between economics and the environment. Recycling allows us to get the maximum benefit and value of the resources we are consuming while also reducing and preventing pollution to water, air and natural resources.

Recycling will diminish the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. The waste in landfills pollutes our air and water, contributing to the gas emissions responsible for the greenhouse effect, global warming and the alarming shift in the world’s ecosystem.  

Recycling is simple and there are easy steps we can take to incorporate it into our lives.  By doing so, we can contribute to the preservation of the environment for the future generations to enjoy.  Start with small changes - we can all make a difference. Remember:  big changes all start small.

Recycle newspapers, aluminum cans, glass and plastic containers. The recycling of these materials is easy. You simply need to separate the waste you produce and this can easily be done when you set up separate containers for different types of waste. Find your local recycling center, as some garbage services do not accept recycling. Generally, they are easily found in all neighborhoods, normally around areas where you visit regularly, e.g. grocery stores.

Recycle by cutting down on the junk – mail that is. Request that your name be removed from national mailing lists and ensure that when ordering from a catalog or subscribing to a magazine that the company does not sell your information. Contact your credit card companies and banks to make sure your information isn’t sold. Millions of trees and billions of gallons of water are used every year to create junk mail that never gets read – or recycled.

Recycle the rechargeable batteries. Once it is time to replace the batteries, dispose of them properly at collection sites for batteries.

Recycle or donate your computer, cell phone, eyeglasses, toner cartridges, etc.

Recycle printer paper or print on both sides. Eliminate unnecessary paper waste. Get creative.

Recycle office paper, folders and cardboard. Opt for recyclable packaging materials. Route office memos when possible instead of making multiple copies.

Recycle engine oil and used tires. Find out where you may dispose of them for reuse so that they will not end up in our landfills.  

Recycled products or products packaged in recyclable containers always make the best purchase option.  

What Else Can You Do…?

Use Environmentally Friendly Products

Choose natural, environmentally friendly alternatives for yourself, your home, garden and pets. The alternatives are many and varied.  And, finding alternatives is becoming increasingly easier. Make the effort to realize how little it takes to improve our consumption habits to improve the state of the environment.

Eliminate unnecessary waste. Use reusable filters instead of paper filters for coffee, use reusable containers for storage instead of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, opt for brown paper bags instead of plastic, reuse them, and use reusable filters instead of paper filters for coffee.

Use dish towels. If choosing to use paper towels, opt for 100% recycled paper towels, with a minimum of 90% post-consumer materials.

When grocery shopping, bring a cloth bag or choose paper bags when necessary. They are biodegradable and therefore more eco-friendly than plastic bags. Reuse them.

Take your clothes to a dry cleaner that use natural alternatives to harsh perchloroethylene (a.k.a perc), a solvent that removes soils and stains. Save wire hangers and return them to your cleaner.

Use remanufactured toner cartridges for your printing, faxing and copying needs.

Clear your garden of unnecessary chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers. Natural alternatives work well without harming the environment.

Buy locally grown food and locally made products whenever possible.

Buy organic food for yourself and your pets.

Choose environmentally-friendly products. There is a natural option to almost anything offered today.

Encourage others through your actions to preserve the environment. Teach children to respect nature and all its life force.  Go on hikes in the mountains, camping in the woods, take a picnic on the beach, explore nature and enjoy. Plant a tree, observe birds, chase butterflies. Get closer to nature and pay attention to its beauty and many wonders. Let’s all be aware of our environment and help protect it.

Environmentally friendly living requires some extra steps and changes in our everyday routines.  However, those changes are easy and quickly become second nature.  And, in the end, the efforts pay off.  

Lead the way by setting an example. That’s what we do at Nature’s Gate by offering products created from plant sources and packaged in recyclable containers. In all aspects of manufacturing we respect the nature and proudly support the efforts to preserve the environment.