Think the things only a few people do can't make a difference? One person can create change. A person needs to only look at the acts of men like Martin Luther King, Audie Murphy, and Mohandas Gandhi, people who believed in the power of their actions and never questioned if just one person could make a difference.
For people who want to be proactive and save the environment but aren't sure what to do (and don't have much time), here are some simple suggestions that can make a big difference.
Eat One Vegetarian Meal a Week
Even for hard-core carnivores, eating one vegetarian meal a week shouldn't be too much of a sacrifice. So how, exactly, will this action save the environment?
Mike Tidwell, in his article "The Low-Carbon Diet" gives several compelling reasons why going vegetarian is better for the climate. Specifically, he addresses the methane and nitrous oxide released by animals in the digestion process (and, obviously, the more animals there are, the more methane they produce).
Furthermore, raising various livestock for consumption uses lots of water and grain that would otherwise be used for produce. Finally, the shipping costs (in terms of the environment) associated with meat production are heavy as well.
Tidwell states that if Americans as a nation ate less meat, the environment would be better off. GoVeg.com says that when a person eats pound of meat, it is the same as "driving an SUV 40 miles" in terms of what it does to the climate. So it's easy to see that if one person eliminates meat from one meal a week, he can make a difference, and if lots of people do it? Well, it could add up pretty quickly.
Grow a Small Garden and/or Buy Locally-grown Produce
Growing a vegetable garden (large or small) is an easy way to help the environment. If a person grows his own food, there are obviously no large scale costs involved in getting the food to the table. Not only that, but the taste of fresh (really fresh) produce is hard to beat.
Some people, though, don't have the time or the space to garden. Well, those people can still help the environment by buying locally, when possible, and in season as much as is feasible. But what exactly is local? Sustainable Table says that at its most basic, local is "as close to home as possible." Farmer's Markets in one's community are a good start.
Compost: The Most Natural Way to Recycle
Recycling doesn't always have to involve collecting cans, jars, or paper. The soil in one's own backyard can create the same process with a person's kitchen scraps. Recycling uneaten pieces of food makes sense.
Not everyone wants to grow a garden and some people just don't have time, but anyone who wants to stop putting more and more in their trashcan can at least put their vegetable scraps in a small hole in the ground. They can also put their grass clippings and dead leaves in the same pile. Not only does it stop these things from going to the landfill, the scraps also decompose more quickly when composting is done on the small scale.
Stop Buying Bottled Water
The amount of plastic bottles filling landfills is mind-boggling. In fact, several cities in the U.S. have banned the use of city funds (taxpayer money) to buy bottled water in an effort to slow the amount of plastic heading to the landfill.
It's simple and inexpensive enough to buy reusable water containers. People concerned about the quality of their drinking water can invest in a filtering system (such as Brita) without spending too much money as well.
Considering 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour in the U.S., it's simple to see how investing in a reusable water bottle makes a lot of sense.
Buy Reusable Items Whenever Possible
Buying a reusable item is sometimes more convenient than buying something disposable anyway, but it makes a lot of sense in the long run. In fact, it's one of the simplest ways to reduce waste.
So what types of items are reusable? Things like cloth grocery bags (instead of plastic throwaway bags), reusable lunch containers, refillable coffee cups - the list is virtually endless. One simply has to take stock of his habits. What does he buy or use on a consistent basis, and how many of those items can be replaced with something that can be used over and over?
Anyone Can Help Save the Environment
Can one or a few people make a difference? Yes! And many people find that once they start to make one or two changes in their lifestyle, making other changes is easy. It's a matter of perspective. Almost anyone can make one or five of all these changes, and they will make a difference.
Cynthia Jones-Shoeman - Cynthia (“Cindy”) Jones-Shoeman earned her MA in English from Colorado State University in 2007; her thesis was "Toni ...
