What does it mean to go green?
“Go green" is an Earth-friendly approach to living. This means the choices you make in your day-to-day life are in the best interest of the environment.
Why go green?
There are many reasons to go green, but the most important reason to go green is because Earth is our home and we need to take care of our home if we want it to sustain life for as long as it can.
Here are a few major reasons why to go green:
The three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
According to Fact Monster, “Every year, Americans throw away 50 billion food and drink cans, 27 billion glass bottles and jars, and 65 million plastic and metal jar and can covers. More than 30% of our waste is packaging materials. Where does it all go? Some 85% of our garbage is sent to a dump, or landfill, where it can take from 100 to 400 years for things like cloth and aluminum to decompose. Glass has been found in perfect condition after 4,000 years in the earth"(5).
“Go green" is an Earth-friendly approach to living. This means the choices you make in your day-to-day life are in the best interest of the environment.
Why go green?
There are many reasons to go green, but the most important reason to go green is because Earth is our home and we need to take care of our home if we want it to sustain life for as long as it can.
Here are a few major reasons why to go green:
- You can save money on your energy bill by cutting back on water consumption, wasteful lighting practices, and buying efficient appliances.
- Using recyclable or organic products means that toxic materials are removed from the production. The more we dispose of in landfills, the more valuable and costly materials are being wasted, as well as producing more greenhouse gases as these landfills decompose.
- Burning fossil fuels is pumping billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, not to mention increasing dependency on resources such as oil and coal, of which there is not an endless supply.
- Renewable energy is 100 percent clean and uses resources that are sustainable and do not have negative impacts on the environment. (Ex. sun, water, wind)
- Going green also helps to preserve the habitats of certain species of wild animals. It also reduces the threat to marine wildlife that dies each year as a result of encountering pollutants or trash in the water supply.
The three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
According to Fact Monster, “Every year, Americans throw away 50 billion food and drink cans, 27 billion glass bottles and jars, and 65 million plastic and metal jar and can covers. More than 30% of our waste is packaging materials. Where does it all go? Some 85% of our garbage is sent to a dump, or landfill, where it can take from 100 to 400 years for things like cloth and aluminum to decompose. Glass has been found in perfect condition after 4,000 years in the earth"(5).
Source : Penn State,U.S. Bureau of Land Management
By learning the three R’s we are rapidly on our way to help our environment and bettering our quality of life.
Reduce means using fewer resources and reducing the amount of waste you produce.
- Cut back on water usage at home (take shorter showers, turn off water when brushing teeth, plant drought resistant laws and plants).
- Turn off lights when they are not in use.
- Avoid buying products that have a lot of packaging.
Reuse means that before you recycle or dispose of anything you can find ways to use them again.
- Old clothes can become pajamas, be used by someone else, or be used for cleaning.
- Reuse jars, margarine containers, coffee cans, and other packages to store stuff at home.
- Opened envelopes can become a shopping list.
Recycle is a process to change waste materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials.
- Look for the recycled option in all the products you buy.
- Have recycling bins at home for paper, plastic, glass, and metal. (You can sell these used items to your local recycling center and get money!)
Resources
"Benefits of Going Green." <i>All-Recycling-Facts.com</i>. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/benefits-of-going-green.html>.
"http://factmonster.com/ipka/.html." Fact Monster. © 2000–2013 Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster. 22 Apr. 2015 <http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0775891.html>.
"Positive Effects on the Environment From Going Green." <i>LIVESTRONG.COM</i>. LIVESTRONG.COM, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/170679-positive-effects-on-the-environment-from-going-green/>.
"Recycling." Recycling. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.earthlyissues.com/recycling.htm>.