Danielle+A’s+2016+OpEd+Article

=Doing Your Part=

Our world is a precious place. And what I can’t manage to wrap my head around is people’s laziness in failed efforts to care for it. Overall, I believe humans are lazy or uneducated or both in means to help our Earth, so I hope to help/inspire at least one person reading this.

Recycle. Let's be honest, I’m assuming you don’t think of much more than green triangles and soda cans when this word comes to mind. But there is so much more to it.To sart off, if you are going to waste then please waste smart. For example, instead of throwing away your Arrowhead water bottle because for some reason you haven't joined the hydroflask/camelbak fad, just throw it in a freaking blue can. EVERYDAY 22 million plastic bottles are thrown away into our ever growing landfills. Landfills where seas of garbage and debris exists which is not where recyclable materials are meant to be. Those 22 million displaced bottles everyday add to the harmful pollutant emissions already generated from waste in landfills. But because of your laziness and misplacement of plastic, the chemicals only add to the other nonbiodegradable or slow to decompose products, producing these harmful gas emissions which are slowly killing our Earth. So if you must use plastic bottles or other wasteful items, I and your Earth beg you to put it in the FREAKING RIGHT COLOR BIN. By correctly placing your water bottle in a blue bin (in California), these materials can be made into new products which requires less energy to produce than the former new product of non raw materials, as well as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions concerning landfills.

Water. A precious entity that we Californians have recently been pressed to conserve. But why should we require a drought to be more water conscious? Nearly everyday when I have art 6th period I turn off at least one of the faucets completely. Now I don’t have art until 6th period, so how long has it been dripping like that? Each drop makes a difference, and I don’t think many kids understand that every drop counts. So when one faucet is dripping, let's say one drip per second, this accumulates to a wasted 5 gallons of water a day-that's 5 milk jugs a day and 2,082 jugs a year just because you weren’t being considerate or were half asleep or something that I don’t care to listen to. Now this is just one example of so many ways people can conserve water. In your homes, turn off your leaky faucets completely not just halfway. Don’t wash your own cars, rather get them washed at a car wash (which studies say use less than 45 gallons of water per wash which is more than half which you waste at home- approximately 90-120 gallons). Along with many other conservation tips, these two alone will and can save millions of gallons of water a year at the expense of nothing for you!

Electricity. Another gemstone that shapes our world's’ way of life. However, this among many other precious resources is not used appropriately. And although a beautiful thing, in 2013 electricity accounted for 31% (the largest sector) of greenhouse gas emissions in America. Now within this 31% different areas fall responsible, however I am only going to focus on the ones we can directly control- residential and transportation emissions. In your home, you probably forget to turn your light off each time you leave your room, right (I know I’m guilty of this)? But each time you remember to turn off your light along with others in your home you are lessening the requirement of coal burning (less emitted greenhouse gasses) as well as keeping money in your wallet. As far as transportation goes, smaller and more gas efficient cars are the future. By driving smaller vehicles and promoting cities to have more ‘clean’ modes of public transportation, emissions will be produced at a lesser rate, slowing the overall rate of global warming

So next time you see a leaky faucet or a recycle bin, please think about your course of action. As cliche and tiresome as this phrase is, everyone's help makes a difference in this fight for a safer and healthier Earth. <<<<#idkwhoputthisthere #imreallyconfused