· By Matthew Jackson
whatSUP, Earth?
IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING
Stopping global warming isn’t a one man job, but we can all have an impact on the world we live in by making small changes in our day-to-day lives. Recycling is such a buzz word in today’s society but what does it actually mean for you and me? It’s not only important for our environment but also for our health.
Let's break it down. Recycling can help
Save Energy
When we recycling, the energy required to make new products is minimized because the core sections of pre-existing products are used instead. Re-using and recycling old products also means less waste which in turn, meaning less energy wasted on cleaning up. According to EPA 2008, if 1 ton of paper is recycled (around the size of a small car), it helps save 17 mature trees as well as 7000 gallons of water, 2 barrels of oil and enough energy to run an average American house for around 5 months. Pretty crazy, hey?
Reduce Pollution and Save Environment
Minimizing energy use helps reduce greenhouse gas emission such as sulfur dioxide, methane or carbon dioxide which have damaging effects on the environment. Using less energy means that the amount of fuel used in manufacturing new products is also decreased meaning less bad gases are released into the air we breath (win-win, right?).
According to EPA 2008, paper recycling from old products instead of new ones produces 74% lesser air pollution and uses 50% less water.
Saves Natural Resources
Recycling uses the core parts of old product which saves the natural resources that go into manufacturing entirely new products. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Natural resources, during 2005, the state saved 1.4 million tons of iron, 71.1 thousand tons of limestone and 829.8 thousand tons of coal by using steel in its recycled form.
Saves Economy
Recycling is really economically beneficial, it saves a lot of money if the core components of our old products are used in the production of new materials. Studies show that recycling provides 4 jobs for every one job provided by waste management. More recycling = more jobs = less unemployment!
These are just four of the many ways that recycling can impact our world. At SUP, sustainability and our impact on the environment is really important to us and it doesn’t have to be boring – check out our Facebook for some inspo on how to recycle your SUP products!