2008 Woodie Awards
Five Things You Can Do To Save The Planet
Easy Steps Anyone Can Take To Do Their Part
CHRIS NESI
Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: Features
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Environmentalism doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t even have to take a lot of work. Here are five ideas everyone can use to keep our planet healthy for generations to come – even on a college student’s budget.
1. Drive less. The millions of vehicles clogging America’s roadways are a major source of global warming causing gases like carbon monoxide. If you can walk or ride a bike somewhere nearby rather than drive, you’d prevent unnecessary spewing of toxic gas into the atmosphere.
2. Clean out that trunk. You’d be amazed how significantly your gas mileage can be affected by a trunk full of stuff. Emptying it out will not only conserve gas and reduce carbon monoxide emissions – it will probably save you some money on fill ups.
3. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. I’m sure you’ve heard about, or at least seen, these corkscrew shaped bulbs in recent years. These energy-efficient light bulbs use one-tenth the energy as their standard counterparts. Every regular bulb you replace with a compact fluorescent will save $30 on your annual electricity bill. If everyone in America replaced one conventional bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would be the equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road every year. The bulbs cost about $5 a piece, but they last for up to seven years.
4. Use less plastic bags. According to National Geographic, every year between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are discarded in America alone. These non-biodegradable bags find their way to rivers, streams and eventually, our oceans, where they will last virtually forever while having devastating effects on marine life. At the supermarket, pharmacy or anywhere else where they give an excessive amount of bags, ask for less. You would be surprised how much a single bag can hold. Since plastic is a product made from oil, the bags present a two-fold environmental problem: polluting our waterways and contributing to our fossil fuel dependence. Most supermarkets nowadays have reusable bags for 99 cents, and some even offer discounts if you bring your own bag.
5. Use rechargeable batteries. Tens of millions of discarded batteries end up in our landfills each year. They contain a host of hazardous chemicals and do not biodegrade well. A set of four rechargeable batteries with a charger costs around $20 at any supermarket. You’ll get between 500 and 1,000 charges per set of batteries, and personally prevent up to 4,000 dead batteries being thrown out.
It’s time for everyone to get on the environmental bandwagon. The days of not caring are over. Each and every one of us can make a difference to the health of the planet. The responsibility will fall not with our parents and teachers generation, but with ours. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that human activities cause global warming, so it’s up to us to live responsibly. We only get one planet. Please treat it well.
1. Drive less. The millions of vehicles clogging America’s roadways are a major source of global warming causing gases like carbon monoxide. If you can walk or ride a bike somewhere nearby rather than drive, you’d prevent unnecessary spewing of toxic gas into the atmosphere.
2. Clean out that trunk. You’d be amazed how significantly your gas mileage can be affected by a trunk full of stuff. Emptying it out will not only conserve gas and reduce carbon monoxide emissions – it will probably save you some money on fill ups.
3. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. I’m sure you’ve heard about, or at least seen, these corkscrew shaped bulbs in recent years. These energy-efficient light bulbs use one-tenth the energy as their standard counterparts. Every regular bulb you replace with a compact fluorescent will save $30 on your annual electricity bill. If everyone in America replaced one conventional bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would be the equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road every year. The bulbs cost about $5 a piece, but they last for up to seven years.
4. Use less plastic bags. According to National Geographic, every year between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are discarded in America alone. These non-biodegradable bags find their way to rivers, streams and eventually, our oceans, where they will last virtually forever while having devastating effects on marine life. At the supermarket, pharmacy or anywhere else where they give an excessive amount of bags, ask for less. You would be surprised how much a single bag can hold. Since plastic is a product made from oil, the bags present a two-fold environmental problem: polluting our waterways and contributing to our fossil fuel dependence. Most supermarkets nowadays have reusable bags for 99 cents, and some even offer discounts if you bring your own bag.
5. Use rechargeable batteries. Tens of millions of discarded batteries end up in our landfills each year. They contain a host of hazardous chemicals and do not biodegrade well. A set of four rechargeable batteries with a charger costs around $20 at any supermarket. You’ll get between 500 and 1,000 charges per set of batteries, and personally prevent up to 4,000 dead batteries being thrown out.
It’s time for everyone to get on the environmental bandwagon. The days of not caring are over. Each and every one of us can make a difference to the health of the planet. The responsibility will fall not with our parents and teachers generation, but with ours. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that human activities cause global warming, so it’s up to us to live responsibly. We only get one planet. Please treat it well.
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