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We often advised: use both sides while taking notes, and use already recycled paper to reduce the cut of
the forests.
Paper was our first concern because paper is made from the trees, and trees are made for us to breathe
oxygen in the air. Forests also kept rain inside the earth and kept the soil in place. Without forests or trees,
the Earth would be a desert! But what upset us the most was all this junk mail we received in our
mailboxes that we did not ask for.
Somebody told us that, by writing to:
Direct Marketing Association
6 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017
we would get rid of them. Wow, it really cut the junk mail by 75%. Incredible!
For companies that already had our names and addresses, we sent mail back saying that we did not want to
receive any mail from them. We also complained about companies that would use plastic in order to
package their products. We wrote to them and told them that they could use wrappers made of 100 percent
plant-fiber cellulose because they were transparent too, and recyclable.
Finally, we would sort
plastic,
aluminum, glass, paper for the hauler that would pick them up, or we would
take them to the drop-off service.
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From the materials recovery facility, some kinds of plastic could be made into carpets or paper made into
paper again, aluminum cans into aluminum at less cost for the community.
We would encourage each other and compete in reusing and recycling. We had contests showing who was
able to reuse the best or the houses that recycled the most were cited as examples between people.
The result?
After a few years of efforts, we were able to reduce the garbage by 70%, and sometimes to 90%. Water
was less polluted and quite a few industries closed because people did not buy enough. But we were
happier, and we had also learned the sense of community. Even if a few people resisted us a long time,
they finally came around and enjoyed being involved or seeing their children do something of a higher
purpose.
People praised each other and were able to see each other more often. We praised Allah for His
Benediction. AlHamdulillah, soon, we launched another part of our program.
We warned people about the pollution due to used oil.
We encouraged them to recycle, then we let them try alternative ways to cut the grass in their gardens.
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