Polar Husky A to Z

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle...and remember our 'toxic garbage' all ends up in 'the big freezer' at the north or the south pole!

RRR's

...Where it stays for a very long time.

Every year, Americans throw away 27 billion glass bottles and jars, and 65 million plastic and metal jar and can covers. Where does it all go? Some 85% of our garbage is sent to a dump, or landfill, where it can take from 100 to 400 years for things like cloth and aluminum to decompose.

And then there is the 'trash' that travels with the wind and the water. Car exhaust, sprayed pesticides, fumes from paint, and aerosol sprays all collect up in the sky or down in a river and are moved around by air and water currents, called "circulation pathways." These circulation pathways all move in patterns from the mid-latitudes of our planet, then to the polar regions -the Arctic and the Antarctic- it is staying there! This is called transboundary pollution.

In a warm climate chlorine takes eight months to break down - in the Arctic it is still around after 40 years!
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Once these air pollutants arrive in the Arctic, the sun does not easily burn them off, nor do they evaporate like they would in warmer climates. Instead, they are being preserved in "the big freezer" of the Arctic. A pollutant pesticide such as Chlorin normally lasts eight months in a warmer climate ... but it lasts for 40 years in the freezer of the Arctic. As you can see, we are quickly running out of space for our trash - on the ground and in the air. It's time to learn the three R's of the environment: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Then, practice what you preach! Don't buy things you don't need, items that come in wasteful packaging, or goods that cannot be recycled. Reuse and buy recycled whatever you can. If you don't 'close the circle' it don't matter.

Reduce

  1. Buy products that don't have a lot of packaging
  2. Borrow when you can
  3. Start a compost bin. Compost is good for the soil in your yard and means that less garbage will go to the landfill
  4. Read your newspaper and magazines online!
  5. Turn off lights that you are not using
  6. Turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth
  7. Stop junk mail you don't want

Reuse

  1. Bring cloth sacks when you go shopping
  2. Carry your in reusable lunch container
  3. Store stuff in coffee cans, shoe boxes, margarine containers
  4. Donate clothes, toys, and furniture to a charity, give them to friends, or have a yard sale
  5. Use both paper sides of blank paper
  6. Use paper grocery bags for book covers
  7. Use silverware and dishes - not plastic utensils and paper plates

Recycle

  1. BUY recycled products. If you don't it doesn't matter that you collect recyclables!

Time Out for Fun

  • Play Errand Run - run your errands while polluting as little as possible. Learn more >>
  • How energy efficient are you? Learn more >>

Links to Learn More

  • Find out how paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic are recycled. Learn more >>
  • Visit EcoKids and learn lots more about climate change, waste, land use, pollution, and green heroes. Learn more >>
  • Stop Junk Mail Delivery to your home - contact the Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service. Learn more >>