Morgan Hanna
As of when this article is published, there are roughly 8.2 billion people on this earth. And while everyone on this planet deserves food, clean water, shelter, and education, it is no surprise that a large portion of the world, specifically in countries of higher affluence, seek out non necessities in their day-to-day lives. It is human nature to always want more things, but that ‘wanting more’ leads to environmental issues. Whether it be one-time plastics in our rivers, crude oil in our oceans, CO2 in our atmosphere, or pesticides in our soil, the world’s constant desire for more has left our planet weakened, and change is needed now more than ever. This article will give you some examples of ways we can do our part in ensuring a better tomorrow.
Thrifting
In the modern days of globalization, goods and products are made from all over the world. While our country has relatively protected worker rights, other countries do not, and workers across the globe are often mistreated, underpaid, and left without insurance. Cheap outfits and ‘fast fashion’ tend to be made of non-quality materials that are meant to deteriorate in a short time, and most items from fast fashion outfit hauls will be sent to thrift stores anyways. If you want to find cheap clothes that won’t lead to you purchasing items from exploitative companies, thrifting is the way to go. Buying secondhand clothes prevents the need for more unnecessary plastic sealing usage, and keeps good clothes from simply being thrown out. If you want to help save the planet, stop by your local Value Village or Goodwill and find yourself a ‘new’ and fresh fit.
Keep the Lights off
While keeping the lights on in your house creates a more lively atmosphere, excessive light usage can not only lead to bulbs burning out faster, but the cost of leaving lights on will add up significantly over time. When you are not presently residing in a room in your house, turn off the lights and save a bit of energy. Plus, keeping the lights off when they are not needed reduces the need to manufacture and purchase more light bulbs, keeping metals like tungsten and lead in the ground. Also, if you own and use any space heaters, unplug them when they are not being used, which saves energy and prevents the risks of accidents. I know that touching the thermostat is considered egregious by many, but turning down the thermostat will also save you energy.
Stop Using AI Websites
Unbeknownst to many, the use of AI is extremely harmful to the environment. While artificial intelligence can be used for good, such as assisting in creating new ideas, medical research, and art inspiration, it is not always worth the environmental effects. The data centers that keep AI systems running are required to be cooled by circulating water. The issue is that some data centers need millions of gallons of fresh water annually to be cooled. If you want to prevent the unnecessary use of water in cooling systems, then the best thing you can do is avoid AI generative and discussion websites, such as ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Meta AI. Afterall, AI generated speech and art is never equal in quality to that of human creation.
Carpooling
Let’s say that you and your closest pals are going to attend a concert or a sports game. In that case, carpooling is the way to go. Carpooling is a great method of transportation without the need for extra car emissions, and also ensures that all members of the group arrive at the same time, and for a decrease in cost of parking fees. While most of us depend on our cars to get us from point A to point B, carpooling leads to less cars on the roads at a time, decreased potential for oil and gasoline to run off into gutters, and less exhaust emissions going into the atmosphere.
Join Earth Club
Woodinville High School happens to be lucky enough to have an Earth Club. School Earth Clubs are often involved with cleaning up around campus, along with teaching basic information about the environment that every high school student should know. Earth Club is a great way to get to learn about how you can protect the environment from here going forward. If you’re interested in Earth Club, then contact the advisor at [email protected] .
Do Research on Popular Companies
Companies make up a large percentage of pollution in our nation and in the world as a whole, with some companies being worse polluters than others. It is best to do research into the companies that you often affiliate with to see how they are playing their part in environmental protection. Now, it’s obvious that most companies do more harm than good when it comes to our environment, and cutting off your funding to all big companies seems a bit unachievable., but with a little research, and perhaps some brand switches if it comes to that, you’ll be helping our environment, one purchase at a time.
Cut Back on Plastic (In Small Ways)
It is no surprise that the #1 contributor to global warming is fossil fuels, in which most of the harvested fossil fuels are used to make plastic. Cutting back on plastic is extremely hard when every other thing we own is made out of it, but there are some ways to curve your plastic usage. For starters, try to reuse small plastic Ziploc bags. Ziploc bags are safe to hand wash, especially the larger ones, and can be reused multiple times. Speaking of bags, tote bags are a good substitute for plastic bags or paper bags when it comes to grocery shopping.
Cut Back on Paper (In Small Ways)
As school students, cutting back on paper is challenging, when many of our assignments must be printed out and physically handed to teachers, but there are always ways we can reduce our paper needs. Instead of using paper towels to dry your hands, use a cloth hand towel. A method to reduce paper towel usage is to flick the water off your hands multiple times, which will lead you to only needing to use one (or two) towels. At lunch, split a napkin in half and share it with your friend. Some other things you can do is to request an email receipt from a restaurant or store after making a purchase. One of my favorite things to do to reduce paper use is to shrink the font of any question-related homework assignment, so that less ink and paper is needed.
Research the Social Disparities of Climate Change
It is no surprise that climate change affects specific groups of people more than it does others. For example, the National Library of Medicine found that climatic changes linked to global warming are having a disproportionate effect on the health of adults and children of color. Climate change is also most detrimental to older adults, young children, those living in poverty, and pregnant women. If you’re wondering how climate change affects other groups of people here in the US and around the world, it is best to do your own research and also see if there are ways you can help those who are more vulnerable to climate change.
There are many ways to keep our planet safe in the wake of climate change and environmental destruction, because I’m gonna be honest with you dear reader, when I tell you that our environments are in serious danger, whether politicians recognize it or not. We as a society cannot always rely on your government to make the best environmental choices, so at the end of the day, it’s up to us to fight for our environment so that the next generations have a chance at survival on this planet.