I recently learned that the average person generates over four pounds of trash every day and in 2009, Americans produced enough trash to circle the Earth 24 times? That sure makes me want to help cut down on pollution for our planet’s future.

The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) estimates that 75 percent of American waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30 percent of it. Ways we can contribute to making a difference to the environment is to implement the 3R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle.

• Reducing consumption is the first and most effective step toward producing less waste, consuming less automatically produces less waste.
• Reuse as much as possible. Reusing products is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.
• Purchasing refillable water bottles and reusable shopping bags are great ways to cut down on pollution. CCD even has filtered water fountains that keep track of all the plastic bottles it saves. This makes a huge difference over time. (Americans use 25 million plastic bottles every hour and most of them are thrown away.)
• Buy products that are made out of recycled materials.
• Recycle items when you don’t need them.

Finally, if you are unable to recycle while on campus, we can all aim to throw away our trash to cut out excess liter on and off campus. As a college that shares our campus, let’s all pitch in and do our part to keep Auraria Campus looking good. No matter how small you start, or how insignificant you think your efforts are, you will make a difference.

Remember every effort counts, small or big. A small start is better than not at all. Your actions make an impact. And Thank You!  Whether you are a student spreading the message and raising awareness on the subject, or an active recycler who knows the importance of eco-green living, or a home-maker deciding on what to buy for your family and how to dispose of unwanted trash, your actions make an impact. Keep it up!

Learn how AHEC is helping to reduce our collective carbon footprint.