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2015 JAINA Convention
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to Minimize
By: Shilpa Shah
As we all know, Jainism teaches us to minimize violence to all forms of life, including animals, plants, and micro-organisms. Jainism also teaches Aparigraha, to minimize our possessions. What we often don't realize is that ALL material objects are created through some form of violence to living beings.
For example, creating a pair of jeans requires clearing land to grow cotton, destroying vegetation on that land and harming animals relying on that vegetation for food and shelter. Tilling soil to grow cotton harms insects, worms, etc. in the soil. Picking cotton (a living plant). Clearing more land to build a factory. Digging the earth to obtain metal for machinery and fuel to run the factory and transport materials. The list of all the harm being done to living organisms can go on and on, all for a pair of jeans. The same can be said for every possession we own.
So how can we possibly avoid such violence? As lay people living in society, we need material possessions in our lives. Hence, there is the famous environmental phrase "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle".
Reduce
This requires the least effort. Simply reduce the number of possessions we have. Purchase fewer clothes, shoes, housewares, etc. Would having one less shirt in your closet make a difference in your life? Probably not, but it will make a difference to the living entities that were impacted by the creation of the shirt. Here are some other ideas for reducing:
• Plastic bags: If you are buying just one or two items, skip the bag. In addition to the natural resources involved with manufacturing the bag, plastic bags contain by-products of animal slaughter to give that smooth, glossy feel. Furthermore, they end up in oceans, and subsequently, into the mouths and stomachs of countless sea creatures.
• Paper: If you need to print an email or web page, instead of selecting "all", do a print preview and then print only the page you need. When printing multiple pages, set your printer to print on both sides. Also, if it's only for yourself and the backside doesn't matter, print on the other side of old paper you would have thrown out.
• Water: Instead of using bottled water, which involves not only waste of plastic, but fuel for transporting the water from the source, to the bottling plant, and to the store, use your own reusable bottle. Keep one in your car and on your desk at the office.
• Coffee: Invest in a reusable cup for your car or office. Besides cutting down on waste, it will keep your beverage hot longer. Most coffee shops will happily fill your own cup, and many even offer a discount!
• Disposable plates: If you need a large quantity of plates for an event, instead of using plastic, Styrofoam, or even chemically treated paper, you can use natural, chemical-free, leaf plates, from naturally fallen leaves, that are sturdy and microwavable.
⚫ Party cups: Provider a marker for guests to write their name on their cup, so they can keep track of their cup and only need to use one. Then recycle the cups.
⚫ Junk mail: The average US household receives 40 pounds of junk mail annually, destroying 100 million trees. There are many services that can help reduce this, such as www.dmachoice.org.
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When will our consciences grew so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it? Eleanor Roosevelt
Jainism World of Non-Violence
Reuse
The longer you can make your possessions last, the less new items will need to be manufactured, and the less lives will be destroyed. Anything that you have that you no longer have use for, find a friend who can use it, sell it to a consignment store, have a yard sale, offer it on Craigslist, give it on freecycle.org. or donate it to charity, so that others can make use of it. Here are some other ideas for reusing:
• Wire hangers from dry cleaners: Most dry cleaners will happily take them back.
• Plastic forks and spoons: After an event, collect them and place them in the dishwasher. They will last for many uses.
• Rechargeable batteries: A charger and rechargeable batteries is an investment that will pay off in no time. • Books and other items: Many can be sold on Amazon.com. They will pay you for shipping. Also, try to purchase second hand items whenever feasible. You'll be surprised at the treasures you can find.
Recycle
Twenty recycled aluminum cans can be made with the energy it takes to manufacture one new one. Every ton of glass recycled saves about nine gallons of fuel needed to make glass from virgin materials. Recycling clearly involves less violence than creating new items from new materials. But recycling can go far beyond the basics of paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic. Earth911.com provides information on recycling almost anything you can imagine. Here are some examples:
⚫ Clothing and Shoes: Most charitable organizations do not have use for clothing and shoes that are worn out. These can be taken to American Textile Recycling Services (atrscorp.com) for a tax deduction. Also, worn out clothing can be taken to H&M stores (hm.com) for store credit. In addition, Nike will transform old shoes of any brand into surface material for basketball courts and running tracks (nike. com).
• Plastic bags: Publix grocery stores and Lowes collect plastic bags from anywhere to recycle.
• Styrofoam: While it is best to avoid using Styrofoam, if you end up with it, and if it is reasonably clean, Publix grocery stores have bins for collecting this.
• Electronics: Best Buy collects electronics to recycle, including cables, CDs, phones, computers, TVs, ink cartridges, small appliances, batteries, etc. They will also trade in your gently used working devices for
store credit.
Thus, by reducing, reusing, and recycling, we can reduce the amount of violence to living beings in this world.
BIOGRAPHY
Shilpa Shah is a child and adolescent psychotherapist in the Atlanta area.
She is the founder of Young Jain Professionals and is currently a member of their Advisory Board. Also, she
is the head of the eco-friendly committee for JAINA 2015.
Topic Synopsis: Article that gives concise, practical tips on ways to be more eco-friendly in our daily lives, and ties the importance of eco-friendliness with non-violence.
"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."Malome Grandhu
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