Several Ways Individuals Can Protect the Environment Beginning at Home

Food Packaging, Corrugated Boxes, extra plastic and paper all are things increasing the need for people to ‘go green’ in their everyday lives. Going green is another way of saying that people need to do things to help protect the natural world in which we live. There are very real and expansive things we as a nation could do to start having a positive impact. However, sometimes it’s unrealistic and daunting to think about the huge picture of saving the environment. It is necessary and doable to focus on small things that can be done at home. By recycling, conserving energy, managing water usage and limiting the use of our automobiles, people could begin to make a large impact through small baby steps.

When most people think about recycling, they think about paper, plastic and aluminum cans. While separating these three elements from ordinary garbage is great, there are many other things that can be recycled as well. Instead of throwing clothing and toys away, people can donate them to churches and charities. Ink cartridges for printers can be refilled or brought back to retail outlets for proper disposal. Food can be placed in compost piles, which turns into wonderful fertilizer for beds of plants. By doing just these three things, people’s trash that ends up in waste dumps is reduced significantly. If every homeowner reduced their garbage by one bag per week, the total decreased garbage in whole neighborhoods would be monumental.

How many times does a person leave a room in their home with the lights and television still turned on? People should try to be aware of their energy usage at all times. They can obtain programmable devices that monitor their heating and cooling temperatures. These devices will lower and raise the degree setting based on the time of day. There is no need for HVAC units to operate at full capacity during times when families are not in the home. This type of monitoring not only is good for the overall environmental impact, it also reduces the cost of the homeowners’ bills and the amount of time HVAC units have to operate. Thus, making the units last longer.

Water is an in-demand resource in many parts of the US throughout different times of the year. By conserving water, people place less demands on the systems that support businesses’ and homes’ water needs. A good example is during tooth brushing. An average family of four will brush their teeth an average of eight total times per day. If all four people turn the water off while they are brushing their teeth and only have the water on during rinsing, that family could ration approximately 3 gallons of water per day. This would add up to 21 gallons per week or 1092 gallons per year. The amount of water that would be saved if whole cities tried to conserve water like this would be incredible.

Lastly, people should try to combine their errands and decrease the number of times they use their automobiles. People canwalk or ride bikes whenever they can. It encompasses outings to school, neighbors’ homes and other local venues that are within a short distance of their home. By reducing the amount of automobile usage, people will utilize a reduced amount of gasoline and pollute the environment on a much smaller scale.