MENTIONING “the three Rs” will probably take many JEP readers back to their school days of “reading, (w)riting and ’rithmetic”, but the term also applies in a completely different context originating from an event that first took place on 22 April 1970.
Attitudes to life were very different 55 years ago. Apollo 13’s mishaps caused nothing more than a brief hiatus in manned lunar landings, fossil fuels were so cheap that they were taken for granted and smoking was still allowed in cinemas and on aircraft. But the times had been a-changin’ for a number of years and things were coming to a head.
US Senator Gaylord Nelson, prompted in part by the public outcry following a massive oil spill near Santa Barbara, California, in January 1969, decided it was time to bring together people who were unhappy with the status quo. So was born Earth Day, when Americans of all political persuasions marched, rallied and educated others to protect the environment. Today, Earth Day has become a worldwide event that questions whether we are doing enough of the right things to protect our planet.
The now-familiar recycling logo of three curved arrows, created by design student Gary Anderson, became famous after winning a competition that built on consumer awareness and enthusiasm inspired by the first Earth Day, and by the mid-70s the logo was associated with all the environmental three Rs: reduce, re-use and recycle.
Sadly, the public-domain logo’s meaning was diluted when it became used to indicate both products that are made from recycled materials and those containing parts that can be recycled later. This may seem like splitting hairs but there is the world of difference between items that are manufactured using second-generation materials and those containing components which could be recycled if the necessary mechanisms were in place. Without that supporting structure, and a favourable economic balance, there is nothing to stop recyclable products from becoming landfill, regardless of the label that they bear.
Reduction and re-use are far better than recycling. For example, the move from traditional incandescent (hot) light bulbs to LED lighting resulted in a well-documented reduction in electricity consumption. Importantly, people were not being asked to do anything less but rather to do the same thing more efficiently. Although savings were to be made in the long run, LED lighting was costlier in terms of capital outlay and it was only thanks to legislation outlawing incandescent lamps that the transition was achieved.
Between the end-plates of reduction and recycling, the potential beneficial impact of re-using products is often overlooked. In some ways this is because it happens so much of the time through charity initiatives such as the Facebook groups Ecycle Jersey and Rag Trade Jersey, which offer unwanted items to new homes at no charge.
A supporting role is played by the charity shops run by Acorn, Durrell and Jersey Hospice. Car boot sales, such as the one at Mont à l’Abbé School next Saturday (26 April, from 9am until noon) should also get a look-in. Even commercial operations such as Glad Rags and Sister2-Sister, as well as online marketplaces such as Vinted, are playing their part in the re-use economy, albeit by monetising unwanted items in the same way that has long been the case for “pre-loved” vehicles. Yes, even the second-hand-car market is part of the re-use economy.
Modern life seems to be based on the assumption that everybody wants to own lots of shiny new products – and that may be true for a lot of people. But it isn’t always ‘‘necessary to buy the latest of everything
Jon Tarrant
But three Rs are not enough to discern all the possibilities that exist when trying to redress the environmental impact of modern life. Personally, I have long included “repurpose” as a step in between re-use and recycling, but there is another option right at the start of the chain: consider whether the product is really needed and, if not, reject it.
This may sound militant but “rejecting” can be as modest as buying refills for liquid soaps and Biros rather than paying for completely new items every time Even these five Rs (reject, reduce, re-use, repurpose and recycle) are not enough because between re-using and recycling we have already identified rehoming, through websites and charity shops.
But even more importantly, there is “repair”, which is a well-supported area of activity here in Jersey thanks to Repair Café events that are held every three weeks. The next ones are at St Ouen’s Parish Hall next Saturday, followed by Grouville Parish Hall (17 May). A full list of events is available online at repaircafe.org.je.
Modern life seems to be based on the assumption that everybody wants to own lots of shiny new products – and that may be true for a lot of people. But it isn’t always necessary to buy the latest of everything. Sometimes the oldies are the goodies and when we upgrade our products we risk downgrading our lives, even though advertisers may try to persuade us otherwise.
•Jon Tarrant was born and educated in Jersey before studying and working in the UK across a variety of roles from industrial R&D and computer programming to photographic journalism. He is the author of a number of books on photography and blogs about science topics at physbang. com.
