We all wish we were a little better at recycling, but I bet you didn’t know there are more than a few non-traditional ways to support a healthier planet. So don’t forget about the three R’s, but I invite you to think outside the box when it comes to conservation.

#1. Let’s slow things down a little. The Slow Food movement was originally created by an Italian to protest the growing popularity of fast food. But since then it’s become a whole lot more. The organizations more than 100,000 members strive to appreciate the cultural value of food by educating others about the wasteful and risky behaviors in the food industry. They also oppose such things as the use of pesticides during growing and relying on too little variety in general. You can support the effort in a small way by learning and teaching others how to garden your own foods; or, just take the time to learn about and prepare cultural favorites in your kitchen more often. Caring about the quality, origin, and tradition of foods will promote things like ethics in the marketplace and economical production.

#2. Be cool conscious. The environment on any given day affects what you wear, right? But did you know it could be the other way around? Choosing your clothes carefully can improve your comfort level, and will promote more careful habits in others. Consider this: in Japan, the government runs a campaign to get businesses to allow short sleeves to be worn during the summer. If your business or child’s school requires formal dress or uniform, make a case for reducing the coverage or thickness of the cloth. Unlike a lot of business attire, thin, white, short sleeve shirts can cut air conditioning costs.

#3. Think outside your world. In worlds beyond yours, developing nations struggle for food and resources are strained under our wastful habits. But you can help protect destruction hundreds of miles away by “buying” your own square of endangered forest. Under the World Land Trust’s “Buy an Acre Fund”, you can protect an acre of rainforests for about $100. The organization has already saved over 400,000 acres in places like Brazil, Ecuador, and Parguay. For more info go to Worldlandtrust.com

More next time!