Ever since the dawn of the Industrial age, mankind has faced a daunting question, is there a sustainable way to continue on their current path of mass production? Lifespan has increased by at least a decade and the population has more than quadrupled in under a century. Among the big questions, we have to answer today are how to manage overcrowding in cities, pollution, the production of enough resources (food, clothing, etc.) for everyone, and finally, how to keep our planet healthy.
Time to maintain our environment:
It is this last one we want to really focus on in this article. How can we all help to maintain our environment? Yes, we’re talking about our city streets, the soil of our farmlands, our forests and vegetation, the purity of the mountain air, the cleanness of our beaches and oceans, and of course all the wildlife around us, among so many others.
All of these are interconnected and each one is affecting the other in often unexpected ways. It’s hard to keep track of it all! But there is one method in particular which everyone can start practicing today – recycling!
Life as compared to past:
Let’s back up a bit and explain something for those who may not realize it. Today, the people on earth are richer than ever when compared to any time before the advent of trains, machines, and factories. This wealth is mostly concentrated in the Western countries in Europe and North America. Still, you can see the standards of living are better now than they were 200 years ago even in many less wealthy countries,. That is not to say poverty is no longer a problem – it is! – but that is a different discussion.
The point is that this increased wealth in both corporate and private manner has led to businesses creating more and more products for people to purchase. These products come often in containers that aren’t biodegradable and eventually get discarded.
Importance of biodegradable products:
While efforts to make biodegradable products have been increasing for years along with public awareness, it is still important for us all to do our best to recycle, recycle, recycle! We must realize the dangers we are facing as a society.
For instance, did you know that Earth’s resources are limited? Even water and air, which seem abundant now, may someday run out. But these days, the products used to make plastic are running out, and we are not reusing the plastic we’ve already made.
Recycling plastic means creating less new plastic, which is usually made from fossil fuels and hydrocarbons. One ton of recycled plastic saves 16.3 barrels of oil.
Recycling Paper and Wood saves trees and forests. You can’t simply replace ancient woodlands or virgin rainforests. It is good not to destroy them. 1 ton of recycled office paper saves 17 trees, 7000 gallons of water, and 463 gallons of oil.
So let’s all do our parts and continue to live healthily!
