| abstract
| - There are multiple ways to reduce. The simplest is to acquire fewer items. Other ways include sharing items, using more efficiently, using items that require fewer other resources or will last longer (requiring fewer replacements over the long term). This article describes these different techniques and gives some additional examples for reducing the resources you use. Do you really need 4 pairs of jeans? Does the water need to run while you're getting ready to brush your teeth? In some cases, you may have good reasons for what, in other situations, might be a wasteful use of resources. But it's helpful to stop to consider what really has value to you. Can you rent, borrow or share something? This can work especially well with larger, but rarely used appliances. For instance, if your carpet needs a deep cleaning once a year, instead of buying the cleaner, you can probably rent it—or even just pay someone to come in and clean it with the appropriate equipment. (On the other hand, if you have white carpets and small children, you may need this often enough to make the investment in a cleaner worthwhile.) The line between reducing and reusing may be blurry sometimes. You reduce the global use of resources by reusing things even when you weren't the original user. So you may see some ways to reduce listed under reusing, or vice versa, such as going to second hand shops for things that don't need to be new. Sometimes you can reduce what you use by selecting items that use fewer other resources. For instance, you may still have the same number of appliances, but they can use less power, water, etc. Something that requires less cleaning may not only save resources, such as water, lower pollution from cleaning products, but also have the advantage of saving you time and effort. Similarly you can save time and effort when you don't need to keep buying supplies or replacements. Two appliances may cost the same, but maybe one brand normally lasts longer or needs less maintenance and fewer replacement parts. On the other hand, sometimes maintaining equipment may require regularly changing a part, such as a filter, but lead to a longer useful timespan for the equipment. By replacing one small part, such as the oil in a car, you may reduce the need to purchase an entire car or engine.
- Reducing is to boil a liquid (usually stock, wine or a sauce mixture) rapidly until the volume is reduced by evaporation, thereby thickening the consistency and intensifying the flavor.
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