Conserving the Environment

The data shows that wildlife species are disappearing faster than ever before in Earth’s history,
while the average global temperature is dangerously rising. The glaciers are melting, extreme
weather events are becoming more common and if we do not start taking better care of the
environment, we are risking an unprecedented climate change which may threaten the very
existence of life as we know it today on a global scale. Although the planet’s climate is known to
go through cycles and to change dramatically in the past as well, the climate change we are
already witnessing is primarily a result of human activities.

What is wrong with Our Planet

Unfortunately, humans appear to be the greatest problem for our planet. The world’s population
is rapidly growing which results in increased pressure on the environment, in the first place on
natural resources including water, food, energy and various materials. The main environmental
challenges include:

 loss of wildlife habitat which in turn brought many wildlife species on the brink of
extinction
 loss of forests which further increases the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and further warming the planet.
As an example, when buying wooden garden furniture always ensure its prom renewable
sources.
  extreme exploitation of natural resources, preventing the natural systems from
replenishing
 increased emission of carbon dioxide, mainly by fossil fuel burning that contributes to the
climate change
 increased production of synthetic materials as a substitute for the natural ones, with many
being extremely toxic to the environment or/and taking centuries to decompose

What can be done to Conserve the Environment and Reverse the Threatening Climate
Change
Conserving the environment and reversing the threatening climate change affects the entire
world and requires a global action to achieve a global effect. Unfortunately, poor nations which
mainly depend on the natural environment for survival need help to tackle poverty to be able to
deal with environmental concerns. Then, there is the unwillingness of some countries to adopt
more rigorous environmental laws out of fear to jeopardize their economic growth. Many
environmentalists therefore worry that a global action will start only when it will be too late and
urge the people to take action themselves.

What Can You Do to Help Conserve the Environment

Saving the environment may seem like Sisyphus’ task from a point of view of an individual,
however, we are not as helpless as it may seem at a first glance. In fact, people have been shown
to have the power to change the world if they really want to.

Our website identifies the key environmental issues as well as provides guidance on how to
reduce the harmful human impact on the environment. We have focused on human activities that
cause the most harm but we have also focused on concrete solutions for the main environmental
issues with an aim to show that every individual can help make our planet a friendlier place.

How to Help Save the Environment

Want to help save the environment? Taking steps to conserve and reuse is easier than you
might think. You can do your part to help save the environment by conserving energy, water,
and gas; recycling, nurturing the outdoors, and reducing your material consumption.
Remember, everything you eat, drink and breathe is part of the environment.

Switch off anything that uses electricity. If you're not using it, turn it off. This goes
for lights, televisions, computers, printers, and so on.
 Put timers on lamps and use them to turn off lamps at the same time on a daily basis.
Timers like these can be found in hardware stores and they can be plugged into
outlets, then control the power to your lamp.
 Develop a routine to shut off lights and electrical appliances whenever you leave a
room.
Unplug devices when possible. Leaving devices plugged in, such as laptop chargers
or toasters, can dissipate "phantom" energy. Even when an appliance is turned off, it
 may still use power. It is best to unplug anything that you do not anticipate using in
the next 36 hours (or more).
 Use a power strip to turn lots of things off with the flip of a single switch. You can
plug all your devices in one area—say, your computer—into a power strip. Then when
you're done using all appliances, simply turn the power strip off with the switch.
Use renewable energy sources. In the USA around 71% of electricity is produced by
burning fossil fuels. Burning coal or other fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases and
particulates as well as creating concentrations of other pollutants which harm the
environment. An average home powered by a coal utility will burn 12,000 pounds of
coal a year and will cause about the same amount of pollution as two cars. By using
renewable energy as the primary power source, the reduction of pollution per
household would be equivalent to that of planting 400 trees.
 Many electric companies offer power from renewable sources (sometimes at a slightly
higher fee). Another option is to rent solar panels, as these are becoming increasingly
expensive. Contact your local energy provider for more information.
 Encourage your congressional representatives to support environmental conservation
and renewable energy.
Run your air conditioner sparingly or not at all. Air conditioners use a great deal of
electricity. Use natural ventilation or a fan to keep cool, as much as possible. If you do use an
air conditioner, set it to a slightly lower temperature than outside.

Switch to compact florescent or LED light bulbs. While these cost more, they are also
longer lasting than conventional light bulbs, but use only one-quarter of the energy.
Environmentally friendly LED lighting may cost more money, but last almost a lifetime and
are even more efficient than CFL's.

Install skylights and solar tubes. These portals to the sun go on your ceiling and let in more
light, thereby reducing the electricity you need to light your house. Some types can even
convert sunlight into electricity.

Close the heating and A/C vents in rooms you seldom use and close the door as you exit
such rooms. When you leave the house, or even when you have dinner downstairs, try to
close the doors to all the rooms you don't normally use or need. Doing this consistently will
reduce the amount of energy squandered by heating or cooling seldom occupied spaces.

Plant barrier trees to protect your house from wind and sun. Deciduous trees
provide shade in the summer, yet allow warming rays enter your house during the
colder months. Evergreens provide a wind break from the prevailing winds.
 Be sure to consider the future growth of any plantings and plant far enough from your
house that the root systems will not infiltrate your foundation.
 Check for leaks. If your faucets drip, get them fixed, or at least put a container under
the dripping faucet and use the water elsewhere.
 To check your toilets, put a few drops of blue or red food coloring in the tank, not the
bowl. Wait about ten minutes without flushing. If you see the dye in the toilet
bowl, repair your toilet.
Turn off the water when you're not using it. If you're brushing your teeth, turn off the
faucet between rinses. Place a little sticky note on the wall in front of the sink, with the
reminder, "Turn off the faucet and save the planet!"
Install low-flow toilets. A low-flow toilet can save many gallons of water per year,
both preserving the environment and lowering your water bill.

 Or put bottle of water (or a brick) in the tank of your current toilet. The space the
bottle takes up will save that much water each flush, yet allow the toilet to keep
functioning properly.
 Try adjusting the water level in your toilet bowls downward. Many toilets have an
adjustment to lower the float controlling the fill valve.

Conserve water. Take shorter showers or fill the bathtub only one quarter to one third full.
Run your dishwasher only when it is completely full. Reuse water, if at all possible. If
you wash your own car, park it on your lawn and use buckets and sponges. Use the hose to
rinse. Use pool covers to reduce evaporation and keep leaves out. Install low flow faucets
(taps) or aerators.

Organize a carpool for work or school. This way, if you take a highway with a
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, this can usually save time and money on gasoline.

Invest in a good bicycle and helmet. Use them when your destination is within 5–10
miles (8.0–16.1 km) of home. You can also buy pannier racks, a bike trailer, or a
sturdy basket to hold items.
 Get in the habit of riding your bike for short, local trips. Short trips are generally the
hardest on your car and on the environment, and you will get more exercise and feel
better.

Get a hybrid. If you have been looking for a new vehicle, hybrids are becoming more and
more popular. There are a wide variety of hybrids on the market from little sedans to big
SUVs. They not only give off less emission into the air, they can save you money with fewer
trips to the gas station.

Recycle all you can. In many countries, recycling is taken seriously. They have one trash
can for bags, one for glass, one for cans, one for boxes, one for plastic, one for paper, even
 one for decomposed food. Try disciplining yourself to recycling the necessities we use when
done.

Avoid using disposable items. Anything you use only a few times and throw away
consumes resources only to spend centuries in a landfill.
 Carry your own reusable cup or water bottle, eating utensils, and cloth shopping
bags with you. Keep them in your car or bike panniers.
 Don't take a plastic bag if you don't need one. If you only got one or two things, you
don't need a bag.
 Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable batteries. Batteries not only take up
landfill space (they can't be incinerated), they can leak acid into the Earth. Even then,
only use the appliance when you must. If you have the choice, plug in the device
instead of using batteries.
 Make sure to dispose properly of any batteries you discard, including rechargeable
batteries that are past their usable lives.

Avoid using plastic whenever you can. Steer clear of things like disposable plastic
cups, plastic bags, and any item you don't need. It never breaks down, and has led to
the poisoning and death of numerous sea creatures. Look into ways that plastic can be
recycled in your area. Some cities have programs for recycling plastic bags and other
difficult to recycle types of plastic.
 Use resalable, reusable containers instead of plastic wrap or plastic bags.

Use only as much toilet paper as you need. Don't unwind a mile of it for one little
wipe. Be reasonable. Go easy on the paper towels, too, and use a washable cloth or
sponge for most of your kitchen cleanup.
 For the paper products you do use, look for products made from 80-100% recycled
paper, preferably with a high post-consumer content.

Coordinate recycling with your neighbors and friends. If the local recycling depot is at
some distance, make a single drop-off spot in your neighborhood, where people can bring
their recyclables, then use just one car to drive them to the depot. A garage is a good place to
store things until they are taken. You might have different neighbors responsible for different
kinds of recyclables, such as paper, glass, metal, etc.

Don't waste food. The best way is to use up your leftovers and plan your meals so you buy
no more than you need. If you do have an overrun, share it with friends or (if appropriate)
with local wildlife.

Donate or share usable household items rather than sending them to a landfill.
 Join your local chapter of www.freecycle.org. These groups offer unwanted or
unneeded household stuff for free to each other, usually through a Yahoo! Group.
 Keep your unwanted stuff out of the landfill and in the hands of someone who will
actually use it. You will make someone happy, and the earth happier too!
Craigslist.org is another useful resource for buying, selling, and giving away used
items locally.
 Donate your usable clothes and household items to charity. Many will send a truck for
pickup.
 Use the for sale and free lists on Craigslist.
 Hold a garage sale.

Use reusable bottles for water. Most tap water in developed countries is safe to drink, and
most cities can supply a water quality report if you are concerned. Buy a glass or metal bottle
and use it for a long time. It will not rot or go bad like a plastic bottle will. You could
decrease the amount of water bottles in the garbage dumps if you use one glass bottle instead
of 30 plastic water bottles per week. Glass bottles are also healthy.

Stop reading newspapers. If you can look up the news on your computer, it takes up less
energy than cutting down the trees, making the paper, and transporting it to your house.

Buy or make a few reusable fabric bags. Bring them with you whenever you go
shopping. Or, reuse your old plastic bags. Just imagine all of the plastic bags in the
world added up.
 Recycle or reuse old plastic bags. There are a lot of things which you can do with old
plastic bags. Reuse them when shopping. Check out how to recycle old plastic bags.
Eat less meat. Meat production is highly resource intensive and inefficient. Meatless
Monday is a national non-profit public health campaign that encourages people to give
up meat one day a week. Attempting vegetarianism or veganism is definitely one of
the best things you can do for the environment and also for your health. Check out the
site for some meatless recipes.
 Ask for any leftover meat when you go to your meat shop. If the meat is OK to feed to
pets, feed it to your dog or cat. They may even give it to you for free. You will also
save money by not having to buy pet food. Also, at some supermarkets, they also give
dog bones free with any purchase.

Buy less stuff. If you don't need it, don't buy it. Besides saving money and not cluttering up
your house, not buying things in the first place means never using the resources (materials,
energy, labor) necessary to create it. Could you borrow something, get it used, or simply do
without it?

Use the back of copy paper. This will save hundreds of trees. If you aren't very picky
about reusing paper, then use the back of notes, kids' unneeded papers, ect.
 When a friend or neighbor is throwing away copy paper that is blank on one side, ask
if you can have it. This saves you money and it helps the environment.
Don't use pesticides, herbicides, or man-made chemicals. Pesticides kill hundreds
of birds and other animals per year. If you have unwanted weeds, pull or hoe them out
yourself, clip them down, plant a ground cover in their place, or use mulchto control
weeds and limit evaporation.
 If you are a gardener, check out permaculture, integrative pest management, poly
cropping, and other techniques that reduce or eliminate the need for chemical
pesticides and fertilizer.
 If you do apply chemical fertilizer, apply no more than is really necessary, and take
steps to ensure that excess is not washed into waterways.

Plant a tree. They absorb carbon dioxide. If you can't plant one, try potted plants. Deciduous
trees carefully located near your home can also help keep your home warmer in winter (when
there are no leaves) and cooler in summer (when they supply plenty of shade).
Compost. Designate an area in your yard to put your yard waste, fruit peels, and uneaten
food. Find some worms who can break the waste down and produce a very rich soil that
works great with your landscaping. Keep your compost heap as far from a water source as
possible, and if you can, put a couple layers of concrete blocks or bricks around your heap to
avoid a mess on your lawn.