Saving the Environment...It's Up to Us | Teen Ink

Saving the Environment...It's Up to Us

November 15, 2009
By twilighter_360 GOLD, NYOB, New Jersey
twilighter_360 GOLD, NYOB, New Jersey
12 articles 0 photos 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A bird dosen't sing because it has an answer.A bird sings because it has a song." -- Maya Angelou

"Give peace a chance." --John Lennon


They say we can’t do anything, that we are powerless, that it is out of our hands. I say WRONG.

We all need to step up to the plate and do something to help save the environment. You are just one person. I am just one person. But if we all work together, we can make a big difference in saving the environment.

We can all do little things to help out, and I have done research composed a list. Here it is:

Recycle (duh!)
Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120.
Turn off unneeded lights, even when only leaving a room for a short time.
Instead of using a dryer, how about a good old-fashioned clothes line? If you do use a dryer, clean the lint filter after every load so that it uses less energy.
Unplug appliances you don’t use often.
Use a microwave whenever you can instead of an oven or a stove.
Wash clothes in warm or cold water instead of hot.
Unplug lights, computers, and other appliances when not in use.
Only use electric appliances when you need them.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy.
Keep your thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in summer.
Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.

Use an electric lawn- mower instead of a gas-powered one.
Water grass early in the morning.
Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away.
Copy and print on both sides of paper.
Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
Set up a bulletin board for memos at school/work instead of sending a copy to each student/employee.
Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
Use recycled paper.
Use discarded paper for scrap paper.
Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.
Recycle printer cartridges.
Use solar power for home and water heating.
Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.
Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work/school.
Check and fix any water leaks.
Install water-saving devices on your faucets.
Don't wash dishes with the water running continuously. If you have one, use a dishwasher instead of washing dishes in a sink.
Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
Install a low-flow shower head.
Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
Use cloth napkins that you can wash and use more than once instead of paper ones.
Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.
Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
Compost your vegetable scraps.
To get to school/work, walk instead of taking the bus. The bus won’t have to carry the weight and it will burn less fuel.
Recycle paper, glass, cans, aluminum and plastic.
Use both sides of a piece of paper (can be used for "scratch paper", notes, phone messages and more).
Bring your food in plastic containers instead of using paper or plastic bags, and use real silverware instead of disposable.
Take quick showers instead of baths, they use up less hot water.
Get pipes and faucets fixed so they don't drip or leak.
Keep your pool/hot tub clean so that it won't have to be drained and refilled as often.
Buy fluorescent lights (they may cost a little more, but they do last longer!).
Instead of driving: Walk (most people say they don't get enough exercise anyway). Carpool. Ride a bike.
Don't let your car "Idle" if going in somewhere, even if only for a second - SHUT IT OFF!
Turn off the water when you're not using it. As Ellen Degeneres says, "Turn off the water while brushing your teeth."This goes for shaving, washing dishes, and even taking a shower.
Go easy on the paper towels.
Organize a carpool for work or school.
Avoid using plastic whenever you can; it is a poison of the earth (things like disposable plastic cups, plastic bags, nonsense plastic items you don't need). It never breaks down, and has led to the poisoning and death of numerous sea creatures. Look into ways that plastic can be recycled in your area. Some cities have programs for recycling plastic bags and other difficult to recycle types of plastic.
Get skylights. These windows go on your ceiling to provide more light, reducing the electric light you use. Some types can even transfer sunlight into electricity.
Reuse glass bottles. Buy a glass bottle and use it for a long time! It will not rot or go bad like a plastic bottle will. You could decrease the amount of water bottles in the garbage dumps if you use 1 glass bottle instead of 30 plastic water bottles per week. Glass bottles are also healthy! Plastic is not.
Stop reading newspapers if you can look up the news on your computer, it takes up less energy than cutting down the trees, making the paper, and transporting it to your house.
Buy or make a few reusable fabric bags, and bring them with you whenever you go shopping.
Limit your shower water. Use less water when showering and don't take longer than fifteen minutes. There are also devices there days that can limit the amount of heated water used per shower, such as Grohe faucets, equipped with low-flow fittings.
Don't use electronic exercise machines. Instead of using treadmills, stationary bikes, etc. etc. , use a bicycle or a unicycle maybe. Walking and push-ups work as well.
Use Canvas To Conserve. Using canvas bags help the environment because plastic bags take hundreds of years to disintegrate. Also,using canvas bags is a very cheap way to help out planet.
Never eat fast food. Many fast food restaurants have grassing lands for beef cattle where rain forest used to be. Not only does eating from these places cut down the rain forest, it uses CO2 to ship the cows, or whats left of them, up in to wherever the restaurant is.

Pretty simple, right? There’s so many easy things we can do to help save our environment. For more information, check out these resources:
www.saveourenvironment.org
www.ceres.ca.org
www.ncgreenpower.org
www.freecycle.org
www.seql.org


The author's comments:
i just think we all need to step up to the plate and DO SOMETHING to help out and save the environment. they say we can't do anything, they say that we are powerless, and i say WRONG.

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