Earth Day 2025: Go Beyond Reduce, Reuse & Recycle with these 4 Powerful New Rs!

This Tuesday 22 April is the 55th year of celebrating Earth Day. First celebrated in 1970, EarthDay.org calls for “the creativity, innovation, ambition, and bravery that we need to meet our climate crisis…”

And while most of us are familiar with the classic 3 Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—I’m excited to share ideas to help us make an even greater positive impact on our planet!

Earth Day aligns perfectly with the Fierce Kindness practice of Contribution—taking meaningful action, however small. The beauty of these environmental practices isn’t just their positive effect on the planet: they also empower us personally, helping transform feelings of climate helplessness (yes, that’s a thing) into purposeful action.

IMPORTANT: Remember to be kind to yourself as you read! These suggestions are meant to inspire, not overwhelm. And even implementing just one new idea creates meaningful change.

Ready to expand your environmental toolkit?

So, beyond the traditional 3 Rs, here are 4 powerful additions:

1. Refuse
2. Repurpose
3. Repair
4. Re-gift

Let’s explore practical ways to incorporate these (now 7) “R” principles into your daily life!

Here are 7 Rs for Making a Difference this Earth Day:

1) Reduce

Reduce is all about FIRST reducing the amount of what we buy—we can simply buy less stuff!

Other ways to take Reduce to the next level include:

• Skip the plastic: Reduce or don’t buy products in single-use plastic. Instead buy loose/bulk, and look for glass, metal or paper/cardboard packaging.
• Reduce your emissions: Cycle, walk or get the bus when you can instead of using the car. And consider vacationing locally rather than flying.
• Reduce the amount of meat that you eat: Setting aside any ethical issues about eating meat, animals require a lot of resources to raise and create greenhouse gas “emissions” that impact our atmosphere.
• Go paperless: make your bills and statements electronic.

2) Refuse

“Refuse” is our first new “R” and flows on nicely from Reduce. Refuse is about NOT buying things you don’t need. But it’s also about NOT buying things that negatively impact our communities and environment.

Some examples of things you can Refuse:

• Cheap or for “fun” gifts or items that will just get thrown in the trash.
• Buying food (especially fruit and vegetables) wrapped in unnecessary layers of plastic or polystyrene.
• Plastic plates, cutlery and straws!
• Anything shipped half-way around the world when you can buy it from a local or in country manufacturer.
• Products with certain chemicals in. These toxins in our foods/in the things we use on our bodies and to clean our homes end up in our bodies and in our ecosystems. For example do an online search and learn about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

Finally, humans are part of our world and communities too… Consider NOT buying from companies that treat their employees poorly. Sadly, despite the convenience, Amazon falls into this category…

3) Reuse

Most of us are already in the habit of using reusable shopping bags, taking our own reusable cup when we get takeout coffee—and bringing our own reusable water bottle to exercise class!

Other ways to take Reuse to the next level include:

• Buy used! Go to thrift stores and have fun with it. Buy secondhand anything when you can!
• Reuse gift wrapping—especially undamaged paper, gift bags and ribbons. (I have a whole bag full of ribbons I can delve into whenever I wrap a gift!).
• Hold a clothing, book or jewellery swap with friends!
• Use washable serviettes/napkins, kitchen cloths and dishtowels instead of paper.
• Rent the tools you need around the house or garden for one-off projects.
• Hire rather than buy supplies for parties like plates, glasses, cutlery, decorations—even the furniture you need!

4) Repurpose

Repurpose is our second new “R” and takes Reuse to the next level. It’s about taking something you might have discarded—and using it in a new, useful way! So this includes what you may know as “upcycling”.

Some examples of Repurpose include:

• Turn old clothes into useful cloths and rags.
• Get creative and make art projects with things you might have thrown away. I love the idea of printmaking using old styrofoam trays, and this toy mirror which I am sure kids will love (and keeps old toys out of the landfill!).
• Keep old yoghurt containers to freeze excess fruit and veggies from your garden (or weekly shop)!
• Cut up your birthday and Christmas cards and turn them into gift tags (this is a great one to do with (older) kids!)
• Take that skirt or shirt you love and turn it into a reusable bag, throw pillow etc.

5) Recycle

We likely all do recycling these days. But you can go further than just recycling packaging and products at the end of their life.

Here are 3 ways to take recycling a step further:

• Be aware of what is recyclable—and what is not. Before purchasing consider if the products you’re buying (and their packaging) are recyclable.
• Are the products you buy made from recycled resources? For example bathroom tissue, office paper and clothing.
• Know before your throw! What gets recycled (and what doesn’t) changes over time. So stay up-to-date with what can be recycled (you might be surprised!)—and also what is not.

6) Repair

Our 3rd new “R” is Repair. But first, let’s be honest: repairing can often cost more than buying new!

But while it may save us money to buy new rather than repair, our planet instead pays the cost. Think about emissions from shipping, chemicals from production leaching into the soil and our landfills filling up with electronics, plastics and endless amounts of discarded stuff.

Yet it can be challenging to repair things. It may be easy to sew a button onto your jacket, but what if it’s something electronic? And have you tried to find a cobbler recently to repair your shoes lately?

Society’s tendency to throw away and buy new, has made it difficult sometimes to find the expert we need to get things repaired…

So, here’s a hot tip: Look for a Repair Cafe in your area! You can take items (including jewellery, clothing, electronics and more!) to one of these community events to get them repaired—and it’s usually free! Simply search online for “Repair Cafe near me”.

7) Re-gift 

Finally, our last new “R” is Re-gift. When you receive a quality gift that doesn’t match your needs or taste, consider passing it along to someone who would truly appreciate it.

Re-gifting calls for thoughtfulness and tact. Do take a moment to consider whether you should inform the original giver or the new recipient. But generally, if they don’t cross paths, you’re on solid ground.

When done with care and consideration, re-gifting can be an act of grace. In fact, I think it’s a beautiful way to honour the gifter’s intent, and ensure the gift gets an appreciative home—rather than collecting dust in your closet, or ending up in landfill!

I really hope you enjoyed these ideas.

ACTION: Is there one idea that stood out for you that you might incorporate into your life on a regular basis?

Wrap-up

Facing global environmental issues can feel overwhelming at times.

So let’s make a difference together!

Consider the ripple effect of even simple habits: turning off the tap while brushing our teeth saves roughly 5 gallons of water. Over a decade, that’s 36,500 gallons saved by just one person in your household. Now imagine that multiplied by thousands or millions of people making similar choices.

Remember that sustainability isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. You don’t need to implement every suggestion or follow them perfectly. Even occasional mindful choices create positive change that accumulates over time. The key is starting somewhere—and being consistent where you can.

And finally, remember to take brilliant care of you. Because when we’re happier and more relaxed we have the energy to make better choices for ourselves—and our planet.

By embracing the expanded 7 Rs, we each contribute to the collective effort that Earth Day has inspired for over 5 decades—and will hopefully continue to inspire for generations to come.

#BeKindAlways—to yourself, to others—and to our beautiful earth.

If you liked this article for Earth Day, you may also like:

• A beautiful Earth Day Infographic with 10 Awesome Ways to Make Our World a Better Place
• Fierce Kindness: Beautiful Quotes for Earth Day
• Why Making a Difference is Good for Us (with 7 Tips to Make it Easy!)

Change the World. Start with You!