4 Things You May Not Know About Recycling

Find out what you can do to stop saying you’re going green, and start doing it.

It's no surprise that recycling is good for the environment. Yet, many of us don't do it. According to DoSomething.org, more than 75 percent of waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30 percent of it. We all say we want to hand down a cleaner planet to our children, the generation that will inherit our struggles and successes, but ask yourself: What am I doing to help?

Recycling is one of the most effective ways to benefit the environment. Whether it's at work or home, we should get in the habit of throwing glass, aluminum, steel (known as tin cans), paper and plastics in the green bin. Check out some of these fascinating facts:

1. Recycling creates millions of green jobs, even in your community. As a matter of fact, in 2010, green goods and services amounted to 3.1 million jobs in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most people don't realize it, but cardboard is a valuable commodity. After you go grocery shopping, reuse that bag!

2. Recycling one soda can save enough energy to power a television for two hours. Sip and recycle!

3. About 4 percent of the total energy consumption in the U.S. is used in the production of all plastic products. We can cut down on this energy waste by recycling plastic products after their useful lives has ended.

4. Manufacturing recycled paper uses 60 percent of the energy need to create paper from trees, according to the Benefits of Recycling. 

As a dedicated advocate of a peaceful and sustainable world, Ilchi Lee strongly believes that we should take steps to truly go green. Today is the time to plan for the world of tomorrow.