Small steps to saving our planet

After this semesters course we have all learned a lot about environmental issues as well as other topics. I wanted to talk about just a few things I have done in order to help live a healthy sustainable life both for the good of myself as well as the environment (which ultimately relates to the condition of my health). Although I may not be able to stop global warming, end pollution and save endangered species single-handedly I sure will be able to send a clear message to businesses, politicians and governmental agencies that value me as a customer, constituent and citizen. My first step to helping sustain the environment is to lower greenhouse gas emissions by not driving my car so much. Instead I walk or ride a bicycle for short trips and take public transportation for longer ones. Research has actually shown that people who use public transportation are healthier than those who don’t. On the other hand when it comes to eating I try to less meat and more fruits and vegetables. Eating meat, eggs and dairy products contributes heavily to global warming because raising animals for food produces many more greenhouse gas emissions than growing plants. Enormous amounts of land, water, grain and fuel are used to raise these animals. When at the grocery store I now try to bring my own re-usable shopping bags. Many natural resources are used in producing plastic bags and at the end most of these bags are discarded in landscapes, clog waterways and sometimes they even kill thousands of marine animals that mistake the bags for food. According to statistics up to a trillion plastic bags are used and discarded every year. Re-usable bags on the other hand don’t need to be discarded after each use. They reduce pollution and save resources. Now this one we have all heard: changing your light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs, which we have been using since Thomas Edison invented them, are not that energy efficient. Compact fluorescent light bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are more energy efficient and less expensive to use than the traditional incandescent bulbs. Although they may be a bit more expensive to buy, in the end they are worth it since they are more energy efficient (meaning less electricity used on your monthly bill) and they last about ten years. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and they provide the same amount of light. Compact fluorescent light bulbs also generate 70 percent less heat which comes in handy during the summer months when you have the air conditioning on high. As for the last thing I have been trying to continue doing is paying my bills online. Although we did not talk much about this in class but I figured since we do these blogs in order to prevent paper from being used why not use it for other purposes. Many banks as well as other companies now offer their customers the option of paying bills online. This eliminates the use of paper and eliminates the need to write and mail paper checks and to keep paper records. This helps reduce forestation which ultimately leads to the reduction of global climate change. There are many things we encounter in our everyday life in which we could use substitutions for for the better of our environment.