Reading the January Shuttle, I was happy to see the article about Buy Nothing Groups. The Buy Nothing movement is beginning to take shape as a new way to resist the corporate takeover of the country, and Freecycle is awesome. But the headline graphic, “Reuse, Recycle, Reclaim Your Space,” was missing something:

What about “Reduce”?

The old Earth Day slogan is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” accompanied by the familiar three arrows in an infinite closed loop. I was taught in the ’70s (when I was just an infant, ha ha) that these three concepts, specifically stated in that order, are intended to encourage people to:

First, REDUCE. Buying less is the most important thing we can do to save the planet and its natural resources. All environmental degradation comes from our consumption, especially consuming new items.

Second, REUSE what you have purchased, because throwaway culture and single-use is also destructive. We can lend, barter, hand me down and donate to thrift stores. But the idea is to buy second hand too, because buying lots of new stuff to eventually send to Freecycle does not “close the loop.” The point is to extend the usefulness of the Earth’s resources we’ve used.

Third, and finally, RECYCLE anything that is left over. Once every last bit of usefulness has been wrung out, then recycle the item to the greatest extent possible, to be incorporated into newly manufactured items, made with not-new materials.

These three together can close the loop on extraction, meaning fewer and fewer new materials need to be taken from the Earth. This is the only way that human consumption can be checked, and the planet can get time to breathe and repair.

“Buy Nothing” is a real solution to both corporate dominance and environmental destruction. But just remember to start with “Reduce,” the first and most important of the Three Rs.

Sue Caskey