Who has time for change?
The health of the environment is one of the major concerns of life
today. It seems you cannot make it through the day without seeing evidence of
the efforts being made to improve the overall health of the Earth and her
ability to sustain life for future generations to come. At some point, the question most of us will
ask ourselves is, “What can I do to help”?
While our desire to do our part in keeping our home livable
may genuine, many people lose their aspiration to do so because of either a lack
of knowledge, or a lack of time. These two barriers can easily stifle the most
committed of people. To get to the heart of this problem, we can take a look at
two components, the first being the impact one person can make, the second what
are the most effective ways to make an impact with little time available to do
so.
Our daily activities as individuals do contribute to the
environmental problems we are facing. The little changes we make every day will
make a difference. Many people will rationalize that as one person, they aren’t
likely to be the cause of the problem, nor any effective solution. However, we
know that in combination with others, our individual actions play a part in the
whole.
According to the Personal Environmental Impact Calendar at http://www.energy.wisc.edu/eic/ the average American generates
4.4 pounds of household and commercial waste daily. That adds up to being about
30.8 pounds a week and roughly 132 pounds a year! Americans are literally generating
millions of pounds of household wastes every year!
So, other than our garbage, what is the greatest negative
impact we make on the environment? According to the EPA, “Driving a private car
is probably a typical citizen's most "polluting" daily activity.”
Other than the obvious solutions of finding a “greener” way to travel, or buying
an eco-friendly new car, they offer many suggestions on their website which you
can do for your own car to reduce the emissions and even save gas and improve
mileage. Just a bonus for you!
These, of course, are just two basic examples of our
personal impact on the environment. Looking at them, it is not too difficult to
see where we can make some changes that will not take much time or effort to
make.
Paying attention to the impact you and your family are
making on the environment is the first step in making a change. Being more mindful
of the products we purchase makes us more aware of how they will be discarded and
being sure to discard them in the most responsible way possible. Reduce, reuse,
recycle… and compost! This will not only lighten your garbage output, but
likely your conscience as well.
Here are a few additional ideas if you want to make a
change:
1) Learn
more about what you are doing and can do!
2) Prevent
energy leaks in home (seal up doors, get double pane windows etc.)
3) Lower
thermostats
4) Use
low-flow shower head and toilets, if possible
5) Plant
trees (in your yard or someone else’s)
6) Use
organic materials in lawn and garden
7) Turn
off lights, appliances and water when not in use
8) Fix
water leaks in home
9) Invest
in solar energy
10) Choose
different transportation methods
11) Get
involved! ( either locally or globally, from community cleanups and other
volunteer work to bigger global projects)
12) Invest!
( If you have more money than time…donate!)
There are many ways
we can get involved and do our part to keep our home clean and livable. Small
changes that we make can make a difference. Whether we have a lot of time to
offer, or seemingly none at all the simple awareness of our actions and the changes
we can make can mean all the difference in the world.
Reference:
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/trans.htm
http://www.energy.wisc.edu/eic/
http://www.practicalenvironmentalist.com/21-practical-ways-to-help-the-environment
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