1. EAT LESS MEAT: A meat-heavy diet is very bad for the environment (and it’s bad for your health, too). It may not seem like it is that harmful, but think about where your meat comes from. Meat comes from livestock, and to clear space for livestock to graze, forests are cut down. When forests are cut down, we lose trees. Trees help pull carbon dioxide out of the air, so less trees mean more carbon dioxide, and this worsens global warming. Plus, livestock itself generates more greenhouse gases than cars, trucks, and automobiles combined! If more and more people want meat, then that means there will be more and more livestock being raised. Now here’s what you can do about this: Tell your parents to cut down on the amount of meat your family consumes. Although meat does provide protein, there are plenty of other healthy and more environment-friendly sources of protein, like beans, nuts, and seeds. You don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan, you just need to eat less meat. In fact, scientists say that the best way to try and cut down on meat is to have a flexitarian diet. This means that you can still eat meat, but only occasionally.
2. PULL THE PLUG AND TURN IT OFF: Whenever you leave a room, make sure you turn off or unplug the TV, the lights, computers, and other electronics. Lights and electronics use up energy, and much of that energy comes from power plants that burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Turning them off when you leave the room means that you are using less energy and fewer greenhouse gases are being produced. You should always unplug electronics as well because even if they are off, they can still use up electricity if they are plugged in. To make this easier, ask your parents to get a power strip so you can turn off and unplug multiple electronics at once.
3. REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE: This is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of saving the environment. You’ve probably heard it so many times. But what does it actually mean? And why is it good for the environment? Well, much of the pollution that occurs today comes from landfills, which is where all your garbage eventually ends up. Americans generate about 230 million tons of trash a year, and unfortunately, only a quarter of it is recycled. The rest of it goes to landfills, where it is buried and compacted. When the food and green waste found in landfills begins to decompose, it releases greenhouse gases into the air. When we reduce, reuse, and recycle, we lower the amount of trash we put in landfills and therefore lower levels of greenhouse gases produced by them. Let’s take a look at how we can reuse, reduce, and recycle.
- Reuse and Reduce: Buy used clothes. Instead of going to the store whenever you need something new, try going to a thrift shop or a specialized reuse center that offers used clothing that may still be in good shape. Reuse plastic containers and plastic bags instead of throwing them away. Donate old clothes that you don’t wear anymore and any other items that you don’t use. Avoid using disposable items like plastic water bottles and plastic silverware. Use reusable items instead. When something is broken or doesn’t work, try fixing it before you throw it out. Borrow or share items that you don’t use often instead of buying new ones. Make sure you don’t buy products with too much packaging because they produce lots of waste.
- Recycle: If you don’t already have one, set up a recycling bin or bag in your house. Post a sign on the bin/bag that says what you can and can’t recycle. If you are unfamiliar with this, here is a list of some items you can recycle: cans, glass, paper, wood, plastic bottles, electronics, metal, and tin foil. However, this list may vary based on which city you live in, so make sure you check with your city’s recycling program to find out. If your city does not have a recycling program, talk to local leaders and politicians to see if they can start one. Always make sure that what you recycle does not have any food on it.
4. GET A BIKE: Instead of taking a car everywhere, try to take a bike sometimes. If you are going somewhere close by, ask your parents if you can bike there instead of taking the car. On average, one car produces about six tons of carbon dioxide a year! That’s the same weight as a male Asian elephant! Bikes, however, use no fuel, so they don’t produce any carbon dioxide at all. This is much better for the environment than taking a car. Imagine how much greenhouse gas we could prevent from entering the atmosphere if more people started biking instead of driving.
5. AVOID DRIVE THRUS: Next time you go to a fast-food restaurant, tell your parents to avoid going into the drive-thru. When your car goes into a drive-through lane, idling occurs. This means that its engine is left running while it isn’t moving. Idling is very bad for the environment: It releases harmful gases into the air and is a huge contributor to air pollution. Every gallon of gas your car burns while idling creates 20 pounds of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere! Plus, idling costs you money because it burns gas quickly, causing you to have to spend more money on gas when you go to the gas station. So, whenever you go to a fast-food restaurant, never go into the drive-thru lane. It is better for you and the environment to simply avoid it.