At Enlightened Recovery, we believe that the base of our holistic living ideology requires complete integration of green and sustainable living practices. Sustainable living can teach our clients about life-long recovery as they overcome their addiction in a nurturing environment, incorporating community involvement so they may reintroduce themselves into society as contributing, conscious members.
Our residential recovery clients take part in these green, sustainable living practices throughout their time with us at Enlightened Recovery. We take pride in providing educational activities to every addict that enrolls in our programs, so they may recreate this way of life and balance in their homes with their families. Learning and putting these methods into practice isn’t just educational, but it can be a lot of fun as we interact with others and find new ways to give back to the earth.
How we integrate sustainable living
Recycling
We use what we can and repurpose those items we don’t use through recycling. The majority of the population doesn’t do this as an everyday part of their activity, but to maintain a healthy planet, we must be mindful of the use of hazardous materials such as plastics and metals. To reduce the amount of waste we produce, we recycle to help decrease the production of these unnecessary items – including the recyclable materials we focus on, such as plastic bags and cigarette butts. Unfortunately, only 30% of materials that can be recycled are; that means over 70% of recyclable materials get thrown out each year. At Enlightened Recovery, we hope to deliver the message of conscious living to every individual so that we can do our part to save this world by treating it well. We teach our clients how to recycle, what can be recycled, and what can be reused at home or repurposed so that we don’t have to contribute to international waste.
We use Cascades paper products, known for their strong environmental practices; Cascades offers a complete range of goods that are made from recycled materials that are chlorine-free, biodegradable, and compostable. These products allow us to contribute to global efforts of water conservation.
Composting
This form of green living allows us to reuse what we’ve shed to grow more of our own crops so that we may nurture the land we’ve been given. We maintain our very own community garden that encourages community involvement with our clients. We compost with raw materials such as green grass clippings, as well as materials from the garden and surrounding trees, mixed in with shreds of recycled paper. Not only does compost provide the most natural type of fertilizer for our growing vegetables and plants without toxic additives, but the process is a lesson for our clients as they learn to understand the natural cycle of growth and decay of organic matter. This lesson that all things must grow, live, perish, and in turn be put back into the land is a part of our holistic outlook on recovery and living.
Community Garden
To use and create compost as described above, we plant gardens that can be shared with nearby community members wishing to learn more about our sustainability practices, and maybe offer some friendly tips of their own. Anyone is welcome, as we teach our members how to plant their own gardens at home so they can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables that build healthy eating habits. When we grow and care for our own food, we appreciate it more; we also consume less when we have to cultivate it ourselves. Our clients find gardening therapeutic, as it incorporates a mindful practice, another treatment we provide at our recovery center.