Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle
In honor of Earth Day, we’d like to introduce some spring cleaning methods to lighten your closet and your environmental impact.
Reduce - How can you reduce your energy usage?
Do you work from home? Are you hoping to save the battery life on your device? Check out how to configure the energy settings on your laptop here.
If you want to monitor the energy usage of your home, there are many applications that can monitor your electric, gas, solar, and other sources of energy use. EnergyCloud by Blue Line Innovations has developed installable sensors that gather information about your energy usage.
Perhaps it’s time to let your home soak up the New Mexican Sun and invest in solar energy. Some of our staff have worked with Positive Energy Solar, who will send you a free estimate to see how much solar could save you.
iFixit is a great way to repair your tech yourself.
Repair - What items in your home could use some TLC instead of being replaced?
On the list of staff picks is iFixit. iFixit is a comprehensive website that makes tech repair simple. With guides to repairing almost every kind of tech you could ever need, it’s easy to fix that glitchy controller or that burnt-out headlight. If you have a nifty fix of your own, you can submit it to be added to the site.
If you are more of a visual learner, YouTube is full of wonderful DIY content to refurbish items you already have.
These old rain boots have been repurposed as planters.
Reuse - What items could you repurpose to give them a new use?
Repurposing other people’s items is another great way to avoid buying something new. Using popular apps, like Craigslist, can connect you to furniture that only needs a coat of paint to be perfect for your home.
If you’re tired of your plants dying on you without them telling you what’s wrong, check out Lua Planters. The intuitive pot can convey when your plant needs water, sunshine, and more.
Another staff recommendation focuses on repurposing the items you already have. They have been turning green chile jars into drinking glasses to repurpose the glass at home. Check out DIY & Crafts for different ways to repurpose and reuse household items.
Recycle - What unused goods can be recycled, rather than thrown away?
It’s time to go through your closet, bag up the clothes that you haven’t worn since before the pandemic began, and donate them to your local Goodwill or thrift store. You can use Goodwill’s Locator to find a donation center near you.
The REI Good & Used trade-in program will take back the gently used gear that’s sitting in your closet and trade you for an REI gift card, so your gear stops taking up space and can get back on the trail.