What can you do to help save the environment?

Christina Fong, Issue 18, Features - By Christina Fong on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 03:50

Environmentalism is a topic that has received more and more attention over the years. It is one that has been mentioned from Capitol Hill to college campuses throughout the country. But why is it important and what can one do to be more sustainable?

Here are some things to think about, as well as easy steps one can take to be more eco-friendly. Global warming is a real problem that is caused by carbon dioxide emissions which trigger the greenhouse gas effect. This in turn is what many experts believe accounts for the rise in temperature throughout the world. The results of global warming are already being seen, such as rising sea-levels due to melting glaciers, abnormal droughts in some parts of the world, fierce, powerful storms and much more.

•Turn off the lights when leaving a room. This saves electricity, which cuts costs and emissions from coal and oil that are the main forms of energy used to produce it.

•Reduce: Just by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving, you can save more than 200 gallons of water per month.

•Use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs): Almost all of the electricity used by an incandescent bulb is converted to heat and not light. CFLs provide a much more efficient alternative.

•Eat less meat. Many people do not realize this, but meat production is actually the #1 polluter on earth. The harmful gases emitted by animal waste combined with the deforestation to make room for growing crops used to feed the animals amount to more pollution than all the cars and airplanes combined.

•Take shorter showers to conserve water. Especially in southern California we simply do not have enough of it!

•Recycle: By recycling aluminum, paper and glass, you can save energy and landfill space. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, three cubic yards of landfill space, two barrels of oil and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity – enough energy to power the average U.S. home for five months.

•Re-use: Bringing your own canvas bag to the grocery store saves plastic. Refillable water bottles do too.

•Fresh, local, organic food: Food travels an average of 1,200 miles before it reaches your plate, so buy locally produced items to save energy and prevent emissions from going into the air. If you do not want to spend as much money at the farmer’s market, Fresh ‘n’ Easy also gets their produce from nearby producers.

•Walk, bike or carpool to places when possible. Car emissions are one of the main contributors of CO2 to the atmosphere.