5 Easy Precycling Ideas to Save Money and Natural Resources

Precycling is not only a way to save the natural resources of the Earth, it is a way to save money. To precycle, is to prevent the unnecessary production of goods and draining of natural resources. It is the step before recycling. Here are five easy ways to precycle in your everyday life.

* Keep your car tuned up and cleaned out, and slow down

A tuned car runs more efficiently. It uses less gas and oil to function and its maximum capacity. It also keeps down wear and tear on auto parts, which makes them last longer. The longer something lasts, the less that has to be produced. You can precycle by keeping your car working efficiently.

Keep you car cleaned out. If you tend to carry around lots of things in your car, including heavy equipment, filled bags and boxes, extra supplies and so forth that you don't need to carry all the time, you could be wasting gas. The more you have to haul around, the more energy your car needs to run, then the more gas you use. Precycle by cleaning out your car of unnecessary items.

Slow down. You don't have to drive like you want to be in the Indi 500 all the time. Cutting back on speed , cuts back on fuel consumption. You precycle by not using as much gas as quickly.

*Juices and drinks

Buy the concentrated versions of your favourite juices and drinks. Then take them home and mix them up yourself in a pitcher. The pitcher is reused over and over. The larger containers are not produced this way. You are precycling by not buying the larger containers that use more natural resources in order to be produced. You are also cutting down on the amount that has to be recycled.

* Buy energy efficient light bulbs

The choices now for energy efficient lighting are much greater than even just a few years ago. You precycle by not using as much energy to run your lights and lamps.

The energy efficient lights, now come in all shapes and sizes, for many different needs. They still have to be produced, but they last much longer, thereby precycling by not buying them as often. The prices have come down some since the first ones were produced. Some power companies reward the purchase of energy efficient lighting.

Included in this category are the new very energy efficient LED Christmas lights. They use a fraction of what the old style lights use. They also last a lot longer. Some power companies, like Manitoba Hydro in Winnipeg, are advertising and pushing for replacement of the old lights and phasing them out. They are actively encouraging people to use the newer more energy efficient versions available now. Manitoba Hydro even puts billboards around the city, promoting their use. (See photo)

*Gardening

Instead of always going to the store to buy those pre-packaged plants with the disposable containers, that get thrown away, consider sharing cuttings of your plants with other gardeners. You might want to set up an exchange program for cuttings in your neighbourhood or area. You can start a local precycling and recycling plant or garden group online. Then let the members know when cuttings are ready,and what you have available to share.

If you get to know what each person grows or specializes in, you could arrange with them ahead of time. It would be a good idea to have reusable and recyclable pots on hand. Then leave them with the person who has the cuttings you want, with your requests. You don't buy more disposable pots, and you precycle. An added bonus here is you may make some new friends and acquaintances who have similar interests. You can teach each other what you know, about those particular plants.

* Make a fashion statement

If you are a decent or accomplished sewer, create your own clothes from outdated or used ones you already have. You will save yourself some money, and save some natural resources by recycling what you have. You will be precycling by not rushing out to buy more clothes, that have to be produced. You can make your own version of something current and trendy, or you can make your own totally new fashion statement. If you make something clever enough and let people know you are both precycling and recycling, they may want to follow suit.

These five simple precycling and recycling ideas are only a few of the possibilities for conserving our natural resources. Remember everything you buy, has to be produced. Everything produced takes energy and natural or unnatural resources in order to make them. By slowing down the consumption, or altering it to become more efficient, you help the environment. You are precycling.