Saving the environment

SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT

We frequently talk about saving our environment and how important it is to conserve the natural resources. Through the school years we have been learning about the importance of a healthy environment. Environmental education has made us realize the need to preserve our natural wealth. But when did you last take a step towards saving the environment? When was the last time you felt the need to save the planet? It is high time we take some major steps towards saving the environment. It is high time we wake up and make some serious efforts to save nature. When we think of saving the environment, we often imagine devising some lengthy procedures and serious measures of saving the planet. We think of all the elements of the environment and wonder what we can do to offer them safety. We think of reforestation and wonder how we can contribute to it. We think of the precious animal life and sit puzzled finding ways of saving animals. Pollution of water, land and air tops our list of environment-unfriendly factors and serious thoughts of stopping pollution crowd our mind. But the need of the day is to rise above thoughts and words and take some serious action. Each one of us can actually contribute to saving the environment by choosing simple ways of making that possible. Here are some simple ways to save the environment:

1. Why not resolve to plant some trees every year? If each of us plants one little tree, it can amount reforestation making the environment healthier. Increasing the use of bicycles or making a habit to walk down short distances can contribute to reduction in air pollution. Try to minimize the use of vehicles. Use CFC-free products. For some destinations, the use of vehicles has no better options.

2. Look at the gadgets you use at home. Are all of them necessary? Do you maintain them well and use them efficiently? Replace the air filters for your air conditioning unit once a month. Turn off the ACs as well as the lights and fans in unused rooms. Make sure to switch off the lights, the television or radio systems before you leave the house. Do not keep your computer switched on while you are not using it. Did you know that your refrigerator and water heaters consume a lot of power? A careful use of these gadgets is a good way to save the electricity.

3. One of the most important elements of the environment is water. Preventing the waste of water and stopping water pollution is one of our primary duties. The use of bath showers and heavy-flushes in toilets leads to an excessive usage of water. Do not dump garbage down a storm drain. Do not pollute water bodies.

4. Recycling is one of the best measures of saving the environment. Try to use renewable sources of energy. Make use of renewable natural resources. A simple way to do this is to lessen the use of rubber and plastic. Instead, use paper bags and cardboard containers. Even the simple habit of buying in bulk can save a lot of packaging material, thus contributing to saving the environment. Buy the products that you can reuse.

5. Activities like composting can be of great help in recycling garbage into useful manures. Avoid an extensive use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic nutrients. Natural manures are a better option for farms and gardens.

These are some of the simple ways in which we can contribute towards saving nature. A small step by each of us can make a huge jump towards saving the environment.

Manuel Caro Juárez 2º BHM