The NGO Committee on the Family New York invites you to attend
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE: A FAMILY AFFAIR
For the International Day of the Family
Thursday, May 16th, 1:15-2:45 PM
Baha’i International Community Offices, 866 United Nations Plaza
Speaker
REV. DOUGLAS LEONARD
United Nations Representative, World Council of Churches
Please bring government-issued photo identification and allow time to check in with security.
Please RSVP to attend at https://bit.ly/2VNdAMl.
Given the benefits of source reduction, reuse, and recycling, the 3Rs “Reduce, reuse and recycle” international initiative was developed as one of the suggested solutions to address growing environmental and climate change concerns. (Bernstad, 2014; Tai et al., 2011; Uyen and Hans, 2009). The purpose of the 3Rs is to minimize waste generation or disposal, hence supporting environmental sustainability for future generations. However, the 3Rs have not been widely practiced in many parts of the world.
Some argue that one reason for the lack of effective practice of the 3Rs globally could be because most efforts are aimed at individuals, government, business and industry, or whole communities, instead of at families. The focus has not been on the primary unit of change and learning in human societies — the family. A sustainable solution may lie within the family unit.
There is growing research that shows that family values play an important role in choosing and sustaining environmental behavior. For example, families who value childhood-nature experiences have lifelong impact on the environmental citizenship and commitment of all family members. People who actively pursue protection of the environment cite time spent in special,
outdoor places with an influential adult, usually a family member, as a primary factor of their commitment to environmental causes (Chawla 2007). These experiences have been linked to the creation of an environmental ethic and the development of stewardship behaviors (Chawla 2007, Wells & Lekies 2006), such as recycling.