Food Packaging, Corrugated Boxes, extra plastic and paper all are culprits adding to the need for people to ‘go green’ in their everyday lives. Going green is another way of saying that people need to do things to help protect the natural world in which we live. There are very real and expansive things we as a nation could do to start having a positive impact. However, sometimes it’s daunting and unrealistic to think about the huge picture of saving the environment. It is necessary and doable to focus on little changes that can be done at home. By recycling, conserving energy, managing water usage and limiting the use of our automobiles, people can start to make a large impact through small baby steps.
When most people think about recycling, they think about paper, plastic and aluminum cans. While separating these three elements from regular trash is great, there are many other things that can be recycled as well. Instead of throwing clothing and toys away, people can donate them to charities and churches. Ink cartridges for printers can be refilled or brought back to retail outlets for proper disposal. Food can be placed in compost piles, which turns into wonderful fertilizer for plant beds. By doing just these three things, people’s trash that ends up in waste dumps is decreased a lot. If every homeowner reduced their garbage by one bag per week, the total decreased garbage in whole neighborhoods would be monumental.
How many times does a person leave a room in their home with the television and lights still turned on? People should try to be aware of their energy usage at all times. Theycan get programmable devices which monitor their heating and cooling temperatures. These devices will raise and lower the degree setting based on the time of day. There is no need for HVAC units to work at maximum capacity during times when families are not in the home. This type of monitoring not only is good for the overall environmental impact, it also decreases the amount of the homeowners’ bills and the amount of time HVAC units have to operate. Thus, making the units last longer.
Water is an in-demand resource in many parts of the US throughout different times of the year. By conserving water, people place less demands on the systems that support homes’ and businesses’ water needs. A great instance is during tooth brushing. An average family of four will brush their teeth an average of eight total times per day. If all four people turn the water off while they are brushing their teeth and only have the water on during rinsing, that family could ration approximately 3 gallons of water per day. This would add up to 21 gallons per week or 1092 gallons over 12 months. The amount of water that would be saved if whole cities tried to conserve water like this would be incredible.
Lastly, people should try to combine their errands and reduce the amount of time they use their automobiles. People can ride bikes or walk whenever they can. It include trips to school, neighbors’ homes and other local venues that are within a short distance of their home. By reducing the amount of automobile usage, people will utilize a reduced amount of gasoline and pollute the environment on a much smaller scale.