Going Green
The environment that we live in today is definitely not the best in human history. It would even be safe to say that it is one of the worst environments that we had to live in. Overpopulation may be one of the worst environmental problems that we are experiencing in our lives today. As a result of rapid population growth, there has been deforestation, air pollution, and the mismanagement of water and chemicals, among many other consequences. The exponential growth of the human population on the earth is stressing the global earth systems. It causes the mass extinction of some species because we are depleting the world’s forests, as well as other animal habitats. Air pollution causes the lowering of the pH of rainfall, making acid rain. Overusing, wasting, and contaminating our freshwater resources stress our worldwide water supplies. The poor use of pesticides, Persistent Organic Pollutants and fertilizers become threats to human health. There are just so many unfortunate consequences as a result of us not caring for our environment.
There have been many attempts in trying to revive everyone in caring for the environment, but most of the efforts have gone to waste. There may have been a spark in the beginning but as people start to go back to their old lifestyle, they lose interest in helping the environment and continue to about their self again. I have tried to come up with a few ideas that will take almost no effort that will have positive effects on our dying environment. One person will probably not make much of a difference, but together as a whole, I believe that it will make a tremendous difference in saving our environment.
The first thing would be to recycle. We throw away so much trash every single day, and we rarely ever think to recycle. Instead of buying disposable, we should choose reusable products. Whenever we can, we should recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, and other recyclable products. Most places have a recycling program, but maybe it is because it is not advertised well, but all of our trash still goes to the normal trashcan. It is not present in our mindset how much help recycling will have on our environment. By recycling just half of our household waste, we can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually!
Another thing that we can do is use less heat and air conditioning. We really use excess heat and air conditioning. If it is summer, the air conditioning is blasting from homes, stores, and public buildings. In the winter, the heat is on 24/7 for months. I have even experienced people that have the air conditioning on even when the window is open. I look at that, and I’m just like, “Really?” We fail to realize how much energy is used to use our heat and air conditioning. By setting the thermostat just a mere two degrees lower in the winter and two degrees higher in the summer saves about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year! We can do so little, yet save so much energy and have a positive impact on our environment.
Being the technologically advanced society that we have become, we rely and depend on things that are not absolutely necessary. One example is our means of transportation. We use our cars so many times during the day, and some people drive around just for fun, or to clear their head. However, if we drive less and drive smart, that means that we are using up fewer emissions. By not resorting to our cars all the time, we also get exercise. Walking and biking are great forms of exercise, and if you bring a friend it can be just as fun as driving around in a car. If walking or biking seems impossible, there is always the mass transit system or even carpooling. We also save money and gasoline, which is not all that bad, as the prices for gas is high anyways. Every gallon of gas that is saved not only helps us economically, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere! Of course, adjusting to this one will be harder than recycling or using less heat and air conditioning, but we need to realize how much it benefits our health physically.
There are many other things we can do. Simple things like turning off the water from our faucet while we brush our teeth, or turning of the light when we really do not need it really helps in saving our energy. After all, we do not even need it, yet we are just wasting again and again without even thinking about it. We really need to recognize that we are harming the Earth and do something about it. And although it is important to come up with ideas of how to go green, I think it is equally as important to follow through with our decisions. We can do this by actually doing everything we know we should be doing to help our environment, but another way we can follow through is by encouraging other to conserve. We need to share information about recycling and energy conservation with as many people as we can because there really are so many people out there that are not conserving because they don’t know that they are harming the environment. We can also reach others by encouraging public officials to establish programs that are good for the environment. Our ignorance is killing the environment, and I think we often fail to realize that this is our environment. We live on this Earth and ever so often take its natural resources for granted. We need to hurry and take action before it is too late. Once it is too late, we can never go back. Before that happens we need to set our minds and save our environment. After all, we are helping ourselves because we are the ones living on this Earth.
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