Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
We heard many times about the three Rs: Reduce – Reuse – Recycle. But then life -and specially life with kids!- pushes us away from our best propositions. It’s way easier to go for single-use items, to buy one more little toy to save us from a tantrum, to grab over packaged food and save our time. Don’t you feel though, like being tricked?
There is way more satisfaction in using less, reusing more, and unleashing your creativity in recycling. Kids are naturally imaginative…think about hours spent building with cardboard boxes. Finding some family space for reusing and recycling with creativity can help children in so many ways; it nurtures creativity and imagination which is essential in child development, it assists them gain access to a creative way of seeing, it helps them fulfill their need to give their parents something unique. Most importantly, art activities build confidence because children gain a sense of mastery over materials resulting in a new creation.
But first things first. We need to debunk some common misconceptions. Luckily someone did the job for us!
Next step, let’s unleash our creativity. It does not only mean being crafty. It means setting our mind to see treasures everywhere. For examples, organizing swap parties. Did you know that fashion industry is one of the most polluting ones? So, why encourage them?
Or, find the occasion for an “empty your room” day, when little ones can set up their own thrift market -with only minimal interference from grown-ups. We have first seen it abroad and kids really love it!
Here 2 of our favorite ideas for reusing items and reducing plastics; tried and tested!
Furoshiki are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloths traditionally used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. Although Furoshiki cloths are not something new, its use kept declining after…the easy availability of plastic bags in Japan! They are useful to keep in the bag and use to wrap loose items, or as small emergency bag instead of plastic ones.
T-yarn. To use in packaging and save some plastic ribbon, to say the least.
Any idea you’d like to share with us?
This article was written by:
Lucia Fanini, Biologist
Olympia Papadopoulou, Environmentalist
Ioanna Serafeimidou, Family Friendly Culture Advocate & Βlogger
The micro-initiative «Networking against plastic pollution» starts from the intention to tightly integrate actions against plastic pollution into everyday life. The blogs ‘Thepaperboat’ (dedicated to traveling with children in Greece) and ‘Pigolampides’ (about family lifestyle in Thessaloniki) under the coordination of Tero and in collaboration with the marine biologist Lucia Fanini (associate of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research) initiate actions that will last until November 2019. The aim is to enhance the awareness of families & local organisations (i.e. non-experts) on the issue of plastic pollution and trigger their engagement in project activities. The micro-initiative is funded by the «Beyond Plastic Med initiative (BeMed)» jointly sponsored by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Tara Expeditions Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe and the Mava Foundation.
** This document was produced with the financial assistance of Beyond Plastic Med. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Tero Single Member PC and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Beyond Plastic Med or its founders.
