9 Sep
Going Green as a Commuter
The sun is something we all can sometimes take for granted in our busy day-to-day lives. Not many of us stop to think of its many benefits.
- It provides nutrients for plants to grow
- Vitamin D for our skin
- Warmth
- The list goes on and on…
Now Picture yourself in your vehicle. You know from hearing things that driving a car is bad for the environment. Want to help? A good option would be to ride a bicycle. It would be nice once and a while to ride a bike instead to the corner store.Nature is a beautiful thing. There are neat bicycles that have baskets to place any items you might have bought while you were shopping.
Think about the smog that cars put into the environment. Smog is not good for anyone. It is when the gases that our precious cars put out mix with the rays or our beloved sun.
If you ride your bike you are also getting fit! That’s a plus indeed.
We also have all learned that carbon dioxide is toxic to us as humans. If you ride a bike, roller blade, or skateboard more often you are reducing the amount of CO2 that your car would be emitting into the earth.
If you don’t live in the city and you are thinking “you really expect me to ride my bike everywhere?” let me provide another option.
Go Hybrid!
What is a Hybrid car you ask? It is powered half electrically and the other half by gas. This is a good way to take baby steps to something even better for the environment : electric cars.
We as humans living on this earth can make a difference. Doing something as simple as riding a bike once in a while instead of driving a car can help substantially.
2 Sep
Some ways to go green at School
There are many ways to take action and to “go green” at your school. I have learned that it is much easier than it may seem. You can start by simply bringing a plastic cup to your favorite coffee shop instead of wasting material or putting more trash out into the world that has to go through a lot of steps to get decomposed.
If you are not ready to take this leap simply remember to recycle your cup and straw. The items used from your recyclable materials will later be used to make things that become very useful ( for example , recycled paper). Find out how to make your own paper at www.pioneerthinking.com.
Make sure that your school has the famous blue bins. This is where you will put your recyclable items. If you are not seeing these around your campus bring it up to someone in charge and take action!
There are even school supplies that were born from recycled materials. It would be a good idea to also find school supplies that were left over from last school year. It is okay to do this, no one will scold you for reusing last year’s binders. Look around your home for pencils/pens that you can reuse. By reusing you are reducing!
Reducing is important because it eventually leads to less energy being used to produce those materials and putting them out into the world. It might also be a good idea to use non-toxic materials to help take better care of our Earth. For some other good ideas visit “50 Ways to go Green in the Classroom.”
Some other good ideas :
- Make sure you turn the faucet off when you use the restroom ( thankfully most public bathrooms now have censored faucets)
- If you live on campus encourage gardens or make your own by putting a plant or two in your dorm. Plants give off oxygen and help clean the air around you
- Turn the lights off if you notice you are the last one in class and this has not been done
By taking simple steps you can help the Earth and it is a habit that you can share with friends and family.
