My first career was as a musician. Despite some good breaks and a substantial amount of business success, music was basically a hand-to-mouth existence. So I learned to manage on the little money that I had.
I also got bitten by the environmental bug. I accepted the goal of reducing my personal impact on the environment as much as possible. "R" number one is Reduce, so I learned to do without. It's amazing how much stuff you actually don't need when you look at it objectively. I don't have a garage full of trinkets that I don't need, want or use, because I never bought them in the first place.
"R" number 2 is Reuse. When you used something a second time, you reduce your environmental impact by 50%. Using a shopping bag twice has far more environmental benefit than a lot of people produce in a lifetime. I shop at garage sales, Goodwill and the local ReUse Centre regularly. Buying a jacket from Goodwill or a book from the ReUse Centre reduces the impact on the environment by 100% because these items will not go to landfill.
"R" number 3 is recycle. I'm not a fan of recycling because it requires absolutely no change in lifestyle. In my opinion, recycling doesn't work. It's too easy to put garbage into the blue box and expect someone else to deal with the problem.
Today I am a stay-at-home father, freelance writer and part-time college instructor. I don't have to live a frugal lifestyle, but I do. I have a young daughter who has to live on this planet for the next 60, 70, 80 years or more. She may choose to have children and her children might have children. I would very much like future generations to have healthy air to breath, clean air to breath and unpolluted land to live on. Besides, I'm cheap!
Richard Best from Oakville Ontario Canada
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