BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION TO POLLUTION
WARM UP
- Do you think recycling is important?
- Do you and your family recycle?
- If so, what materials?
Everyone’s contribution
There are many things each of us can do to reduce our impact on the environment. If we all use energy, transport, and other goods and services more responsibly, we can reduce harmful emissions to our air, water, and land and therefore our impact on the environment.
Reduce, reuse and recycle
Reducing consumption1, that is getting in the habit of only buying what we need, buying biodegradable products and products that have little (minimized and recyclable) packaging, and recycling, that is re-using, all items instead of throwing them away, are all necessary if we are interested in reducing our own contribution to waste and therefore to pollution.
We should recycle any waste that is recyclable: paper, plastics, glass, and metals. E-waste1 as well contains materials which can be reused. Even food scraps can be composted and used as a fertilizer.
Cut the car
Cutting down on the use of cars reduces consumption of fossil fuels and helps keep air pollution under control. Whenever possible, rather than driving a car or riding a motorcycle, we should commute smart by walking, cycling, using public transportation, or carpooling to school, work, or to perform errands.
Save energy and water
Most traditional sources of energy burn fossil fuels, so anything we can do to save energy will help to reduce pollution.
Primarily, we should choose clean sources of energy, like solar and wind power.
Producing clean water needs huge amounts of energy, so cutting water waste is another good way to save energy. To fight the increasing scarcity of drinkable water in this world, all of us should start reducing water waste as much as possible.
Cut the chemicals
To avoid use of air-polluting chemicals and consumption of products that come from air-polluting factories, we should select products that are water-based, avoid aerosol products, and use environmentally friendly cleaning products whenever possible.
MORE
1 SCP (Sustainable Consumption and Production) means doing more and better with less.
DO
1 Do you know what "e-waste" refers to? Choose from the following:
a. A process through which waste is treated electronically.
b. Unwanted computer parts.
c. The retrieval of useful or precious materials contained in computer parts.
d. Phrases b. and c. are correct.
