It is no secret that human-made pollution is a huge issue for the environment. From trash in the ocean to smog in our atmosphere, pollution is an issue that is harmful to wildlife and humans alike. You might not believe this, but in a study conducted by the DoSomething campaign, they found that pollution is "one of the biggest global killers, affecting over 100 million people." That’s comparable to global diseases like malaria and HIV. You would think that because of this people would be more careful about how they affect the environment, but the number of environmental catastrophes that humans are part of is not going down as the years go by. For instance, just this past week, Shell Oil Company accidentally dumped almost 90,000 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This affected marine and human life, as the spill occurred less than 100 miles south of Lousiana’s Terrebonne Parish, which is home to one of the country’s largest communities of Houma Native Americans.
1. Recycle
Recycling is the process of converting waste into reusable material. You can do this by collecting recyclable materials such as plastic and aluminum. Recycling can benefit your community and the environment by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, conserving natural resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change, and helping sustain the environment for future generations. As though this wasn't enough, you can also get paid for it by certain companies. Recycling also helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States for future generations.
2. Walk or Bike More Often
Walking or biking can make you healthier by increasing the strength of your muscles and cardiovascular system, and who doesn't like the extra cash by reducing the cost of parking and gas? If your destination is too far to walk or bike, consider carpooling with friends and coworkers.
3. Conserve Energy
Conserving energy is a big way to help the environment. It might not seem like much to just turn off your lights, but when you consume less power, you reduce the amount of toxic fumes released by power plants. To conserve energy you can start turning off lights that you're not using or by using natural light instead of electricity. You can also purchase fluorescent bulbs, which reduce energy use by up to 75 percent.
4. Conserve Water
An estimated 50 percent of all household water usage is wasted. It goes down the drain while people wait for it to warm up or evaporates more quickly than it needs to. The Earth's fresh water supply is diminishing due to pollution and drought, so it's important to conserve all the water we can. You can conserve water by turning off and fixing leaky faucets and reducing how much water you use for daily activities.
5. Stop Using Bottled Water
If you don't recycle the bottles of water that you own, it can easily become plastic waste that will effect our oceans and lakes. The biggest pollutant for bodies of water is plastic and trash, so a good way to help reduce the number of plastic waste is to keep reusable water bottles that you can refill. This can greatly lessen the amount of trash that ends up in our waters.
