When done right, living sustainably doesn’t actually cost more time or money in the long run.
Most people today see recycling as a burden. If you bring up scopes of carbon emissions or habitat conservation, their eyes glaze over. Why is this?
“Simply put, we’ll never truly understand our impact until we’ve seen and experienced it first-hand.”
Most people are so far removed from what happens after something (like a plastic water bottle) leaves their sight. They don’t have any reason to exert extra energy, time or money to change the process because in their mind, it’s not their problem. And when they hear that the recycling industry doesn’t actually recycle even 10% of the plastic we already think we’re recycling, someone might even ask, “Why should I care?”
The good news is, there’s hope. And where there’s a will, there’s a way! Flair For Life LLC is ALL about Sustainability. The way we operate and help you operate, both at an individual consumer and business level, will not only improve the environment, it will save you valuable time and money in the long run.
To get us there, we’ll meet and discuss your needs. I’ll provide you important resources and education to help you improve your environmental footprint, and leverage a robust ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ methodology… and yes, that’s the order we tackle each project. After we’ve identified your goals and set up a plan of action, we’ll move to identifying how to significantly decrease (or offset entirely) your carbon footprint and put money back into your pocket.
Reduce
We will help you REDUCE your overall consumption, plus identify product alternatives with more sustainable supply chains and a better environmental impact.
You’ll benefit from our extensive experience in commercial and residential Water Conservation, Waste Management and Recycling programs. We'll help you extend beyond single-use product consumption, and improve in areas like hazardous waste, repurposed consumer goods with residual useful life (i.e., furniture, electronics, etc.), philanthropic donations, and e-waste.
Reuse
Believe it or not, recycling isn’t the only way to process something that was already used. Depending on what it is, the old saying that “one person’s trash is another’s treasure” may just hold true. Together, we may be able to find someone who can REUSE what you’re discarding and might even be willing to pay you for it.
Reclaimed waste can be converted into something useful - like other new containers, building materials, car components and so much more. Sure, the market for post-consumer materials is decades behind the curve, because consumers and organizations aren’t demanding critical infrastructure changes. But we have many tools to use on our own and reusing items is one of the most powerful.
We will take a detailed look at what goes to the landfill after it leaves your hands. We’ll consider safe options like donations, repurposing, selling or reusing it ourselves. Sometimes it takes a little creativity, but I’ve successfully turned a profit from many large-scale commercial decommissions that would have otherwise landed up in a landfill, and I can certainly help you do the same.
Recycle
This may be the most widely used practice in the waste hierarchy, but it’s also the most misused. So many people think how I used to - ‘if we put the empty containers in the right RECYCLE bin, then we’re doing our part and saving the world…’ Boy, was I ever WRONG.
What we think gets recycled probably doesn’t. Learning this and seeing it for myself was one of the biggest wake-up calls of my life. I was touring a recycling sorting facility when I realized that the vast majority of people do not know how to recycle properly.
An example of this is a recyclable peanut butter jar that has leftover peanut butter stuck to the sides when it’s put into the recycle bin. You may think that because you’ve “recycled” and chosen a recyclable container that you’ve done your part, but your job isn’t over yet. Unless you rinse out the container to remove the organic materials, this item will ultimately be sent to a landfill. There is no one stationed to wash out containers at a recycle facility, so everything not meeting the criteria for processing will be separated and sent to landfills like all of the other non-recyclable products sorted there.
Yes, recycling is crucial for processing waste that can’t be avoided, but if we don’t do our part, it’s almost pointless to use recycling bins at all.
Did you know that every piece of plastic ever manufactured still exists on this planet today? In one form or another, all that plastic plus everything being manufactured today will continue to exist for hundreds of years. It’s in our water and food supply, it’s being ingested by wildlife and it’s even falling back to Earth in our rain.
We’re literally burying ourselves in our own waste, and to solve this we have to work together to i) find efficient and effective ways to recycle what already exists, and ii) dramatically cut down the single-use products we consume.
We’ll help you find the right waste streams for your personal or corporate goals and help you find ways to recycle through efforts like composting, proper waste streams and reclaimed irrigation systems.
Our Services
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Individual
This program level is aimed at helping individuals improve their environmental footprint. This will be conducted in 1:1 virtual meetings so we can fully tailor your solution to your personal situation. We will help you find useful programs, municipal services, rebates and services in your market, as well as provide household tips that can reduce your utility bills.
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Business
Whether you have customers, stakeholders or shareholders, everyone expects your business to run ethically and sustainably so you can continue to stay in business. We will extensively review your portfolio and current state operations and will help you establish a robust operational and employee engagement program for this and any other areas of Corporate Social Responsibility that may be of value to you.
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Custom
Have a unique situation? Run your own business but also want to improve your utility bills at home and work? Want to create programs for your neighborhood HOA? If your interest falls into any category other than exclusively Individual or Business, this is the option for you.