Five Ways YOU Can Prevent Pollution

There are several major issues facing the globe today, not the least of which is the umbrella term “pollution” which covers a wide range of environmental ills.  Land, water and air are being systematically destroyed by pollution—most of which can be easily prevented.   Granted, a great deal of change needs to occur by governments and corporations; but even individual contributions can add up and make a difference.  Here are five ways that YOU can prevent pollution in your daily life:

1.    Drive Less

Driving your car uses valuable non-renewable resources, the burning of which creates pollution which is directly responsible for global warming:

• Most ozone pollution is caused by motor vehicles, which account for 72% of nitrogen oxides and 52% of reactive hydrocarbons (principal components of smog).
• SUV's put out 43% more global-warming pollutants (28 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon of gas consumed) and 47% more air pollution than the average car. [source]

CO2 emissions from U.S. cars & trucks totaled 314 million metric tons in 2002. That's as much as would be released from burning all the coal in a train 50,000 miles long -- enough to circle around the world, twice.

The solution?  Drive less!  Take public transportation, ride your bike, telecommute and carpool.  Think outside the box!  A little creative thinking will help you determine when and where you can cut your driving to help reduce pollution.

2.    Recycle

Recycling paper, glass and metal means less trash building up in landfills polluting the earth.  Plastics take thousands of years to disintegrate and as they do they give off toxins which seep into the soil and water supplies.

• Each person produces 4.6 lbs. of trash per day in the United States.
• United States recycles about 32% of its waste today. [Source]

Recycling can not only keep trash from piling up, but it means fewer new things need to be manufactured as well.  Call your city and find out about your local recycling program and make a commitment to participate each week.

3.    Use Natural Lawn Care

There are millions of American homes and most of them have lawns and gardens that require constant maintenance.  Many families rely on fertilizers and pesticides which are full of toxic chemicals.  These can not only directly affect your health if you are in contact with them; but as the water runs off so do these chemicals and eventually they make themselves back in to the community’s water supply. 

• Each year, homeowners apply at least 90 million pounds of pesticides to their lawns and gardens. Home use of pesticides has risen 42% between 1998 and 2001 and now represents the only growth sector of the U.S. pesticide market. Pesticides are also applied more intensively for lawn care, with applications rates between 3.2 to 9.8 pounds per acre for lawns, as opposed to agricultural averages of 2.7 pounds per acre.  [Source]

4.    Buy Organic

Conventionally grown foods and clothes use staggering amounts of toxic chemicals that affect the health of the people who use them and well as the end user (YOU!).  These chemicals have nowhere to go after the crops are harvested—they simply stay in the soil, building up to levels that will eventually render the ground useless; or they are washed away by rains or irrigation where they collect in rivers and lakes. 

Organic food and clothing, on the other hand, is made with naturally grown produce which does not use pesticides and other deadly chemicals during their lifecycle.  By choosing to buy organic you are putting money to work as the organic industry develops and becomes even more accessible to all consumers. 

5.    Buy Less

If everyone bought only the things they needed—and bought good quality items that last year after year—the manufacturers of the world would be able to slow down enough to focus on creating quality products without trying to keep up with a demand that prevents them from making clean products in an ethical, sustainable way.  Sure, the bloated billionaires would have to take a pay cut, but the rest of us would have a much better life.