RECYCLE, PRECYCLE or JUST CYCLE!
Sustainability in 2009

Hi [fullname,fallback=Name],
It is 2009! Typically, the new calendar year marks a time to make lifestyle changes and to devote oneself to new causes. So, what better time than now to assess your life from a sustainability perspective?

By now, most people have heard tons of tips and are implementing “green practices” into daily life. Recycling has become the destination for most household waste. This is amazing progress, and it got the Orange Bike Design team thinking, what else can we do?

A great answer and a new trend in sustainability is to not only recycle, but precycle. Precycling is a way of re-thinking our purchases and taking a little preemptive action against waste. Here are some of the main tenants of precycling:

• Rent or Borrow (Washington D.C. recently implemented a Bike-Sharing Program the first of its kind in the nation)
• Avoid purchasing disposable products
• Buy in bulk and avoid using products that have individually wrapped servings
• Buy products that use the least amount of packaging; compare the size of the product to the amount of packaging
• Reuse, Reuse, Reuse (use old envelopes for scrap paper pads, invest in rechargeable batteries, reusable lunch boxes and bring your own shopping bags!)
  
  

Is it Smarter to Barter?

In these economic times, it is great to be green, but it is also nice to actually save some "green". One of the easiest ways to do this is to "act locally". Trading goods and services is a great way to build a strong sense of community, while saving a few dollars at the same time.

Next time you need to make a costly purchase, check out what other locals have to offer. Some good resources are your area craigslist barter section or one of the many facebook pages devoted to bartering.