You Can “Go Green” and Foster Environmental Responsibility

More than 80% of the waste that occupies American landfills could have been recycled. That devastating fact alone is enough to get one thinking about how, as a society, we misuse resources unnecessarily. Fortunately, there are going green ideas that we can put into practice in our everyday lives, which can help to foster greater environmental responsibility.

For example, of all the water throughout the world, only 2.5% of it is fresh. With this in mind, water conservation is absolutely critical. This means preventing plastic water bottle pollution and ensuring proper medical waste disposal so that fresh water pollution doesn’t have irrevocable consequences on our drinking water, and eventually, our health.

The environment can be negatively affected not only by what we throw away, but also by what we choose to consume. American factories annually produce three million tons of harmful chemicals that are toxic to both the land and the air. By abstaining from purchasing certain items that are produced by environmentally irresponsible companies, a strong message can be sent in favor of going green.

Even certain farms produce food that is grown with the use of pesticides, which are explicitly damaging to our bodies. In fact, more than 100 ingredients in pesticides are associated with causing gene mutation, birth defects, and even cancer. To avoid these things entirely, it is best to seek out food that is specifically “organic,” meaning that it was not produced using pesticides.

Elements that are harmful to the environment can also be costly in a financial sense. Of all the nuclear plants in America, 24,000 of them are contaminated. In order to get rid of all this contamination, it would cost between $100 billion to $400 billion.

Whether it’s environmental or financial, this kind of waste is simply not sustainable. Though the problems are far-reaching, the solutions begin with going green ideas implemented by individuals committed to affecting positive change.

If you have questions, comments, tips on how to improve the environment, be sure to share them in the forum below. For more about this, go here.