Our society is changing in many ways, some for the better and some for the worse. One area we can be happy about is that environmental awareness is at an all time high and even people who choose not to change their behavior to help the environment are aware of this increasing trend. The rest of society is beginning to change their attitudes toward the environment and come to a better understanding of their relationship with the world around them.

Recycling is not a new concept and has in fact been in use for many decades, however it is just recently that the masses are adopting this practice into their everyday lives. As a result corporations’ marketing departments are charging full force to offer consumers a plethora of "environmentally-friendly" products, many of which are made of recycled materials. This is definitely a positive change and a step in the right direction, however recycling is a just a band-aide for the waste producing society we have all grown up in and around.

We recycle to deal with a constantly flowing supply of waste generated from hundreds of thousands of products we use every day. A perfect example is bottled water; the bottles are recyclable so we don’t feel bad about creating unneeded waste. The real solution is true waste management, not creating the waste in massive volumes, thus eliminating a need to recycle everything. While this might sound nice, we will inevitably need to recycle because of the waste producing systems in place in our society. The US has a multi-billion dollar packaging industry that creates disposable containers for just about every product that exists, and there are more products being produced everyday.

So how can we manage our waste production? This is a difficult question to answer and one that has no immediate solution. Consumers can begin by taking small steps such as investing in re-usable alternatives to disposable packaging. Many grocery stores now sell reusable bags as an alternative to plastic or paper. Instead of bottled water consumers can purchase home water filters and fill up reusable water bottles. Coffee drinkers can bring their own mug or thermos to the cafe and decline the paper cup and hand insulator. At home a set of cheap hand towels can replace paper towels, and mothers can even find reusable diapers are making a big come back now.

The key to continuing this trend is to get everyone thinking about how they can eliminate waste in their daily lives. The more consumers desire to be environmentally responsible, the more businesses will meet that desire with relevant products. Once we have companies and consumers trying to eliminate waste we will see this trend rise even further. If the demand were there, consumers could bring their own packaging to a wider variety of stores that would find a way to cater to the needs of their customers.

Ultimately it starts with each one of us, and our own personal desire to take care of the world around us a little better. Awareness and education will help bring environmental responsibility to wider audiences, and the demand for eco-friendly products and waste reducing commerce will allow us to change our society for the better. It’s a long process, but if we start making this change now, our environment may just last long enough for our children to enjoy it…. and perhaps even their children.