Conservation
To recycle, and even better, to re-use is surely preferable to a constant cycle of dumping old and buying new. An even better way is summed up in an old-fashioned term: conservation. This is not only the most environmentally sound way to proceed, it is also the most cost effective. By turning down your thermostat a notch or two, or by walking instead of driving occasionally; by turning off lights when you leave an empty room: these may seems small measures to take, but if multiplied around the world, would make a real difference to the environment. Take travel: why do we travel so much? Can't some people work from home and therefore avoid the rush hour and have a better quality of life? Can schools and homes be nearer to each other? Perhaps there should be more/smaller schools and instead of less/larger? In fact, more and smaller of everything may not be a bad idea when considering travel reduction. Perhaps the time has come to consider a steep rise in fuel prices?

Environmental Footprint
Most production activities, and increasingly most of our everyday activities have a so-called environmental "footprint". This footprint is a measure of the effect of an action on the environment. When we take out then we should give back. Just as new trees are planted to replace those that have been felled, so we should make amends when we pollute our environment. Better still, though, is the idea that we make no footprint in the first place. The question is: why were the trees felled in the first place?