“We rarely stop to examine the effects on the environment unless we are hit by a natural disaster…The natural balance of the world is shifting dangerously away from us and we should take care of our environment before it is too late.”1
When was the last time you stopped and smelled the roses? How about the last time you took a walk outside to clear your head? Think back to when you were a child—do you remember rolling in the grass and playing in the dirt? Or picking a flower for your mom? Or watching the birds soar freely above the trees? Anymore, there seems to be too much focus on technology and wasting money to buy the “latest trend”, that we seem to be missing the true beauty of nature. It even gets to the point that some people are being lazy and taking advantage of this world.
When was the last time you chewed on a piece of gum? When you were done, what did you do with it—did you wrap it up and throw it into the garbage? Or did you just spit it out onto the street? If you did the latter of the two, then you littered. A lot of people litter, carelessly leaving garbage wherever they decide to toss it. They disregard it and leave it there to be the next person’s problem. But what they don’t realize is it’s becoming everyone’s problem. Being careless of our garbage is leading to so many problems, such as animals eating it and getting sick—they suffer a slow, painful death and because of the food chain, whatever eats that sick animal will then also get sick. On a much larger scale, think about all the houses and cars and all the garbage that gets washed into the ocean after hurricanes. What happens to all of that floating debris? It doesn’t just disappear. It gets eaten by the fish and the other creatures that eat the fish. Guess who else may be eating that same fish? Yes my friend, you! You and your family and loved ones.
The waste we put into the atmosphere throughout our daily lives is ruining the earth’s climate. Things are changing, maybe slowly, but it’s still possible to make a positive difference and try to preserve the world for our future generations. There is so much you can do to help take care of this planet! Help the world out by doing your part—make sure your garbage gets put into the garbage cans and not thrown carelessly onto the streets. Recycle as much of your plastics and cardboard materials as you can in your area. Reuse your things to help make this place better. Got old clothes that are still in good condition? Find an organization that will donate them to relief funds for victims of natural disasters.
Think you have to drive everyday to work? Try carpooling to reduce the exhaust and other chemicals vehicles put into the air. You can also ride a bike or walk to your destination if it’s not too far. This is also great exercise and gets you moving and gives you a chance to enjoy what’s around you.
Plant a garden! This is a wonderful way to make sure you and your family are eating fresh vegetables and fruits and gives you a chance to create something and appreciate it more. If you don’t have a place to plant a garden, it’s a great idea to have a collection of food storage, such as dehydrated fruits and freeze-dried vegetables. Having a food supply is a great backup for just in case—just in case you can’t make it to the grocery store, just in case there’s a drought or flood that ruins all the produce. We all like to hope that bad things don’t happen, but this isn’t a perfect world, and we need to do our part in being prepared for when the bad thing do happen.
Plant some trees in your yard to help increase the oxygen supply of the world. This also will create shade, keeping you cool in the summertime. Don’t have an area to plant trees? You can always find an organization like the Arbor Day Foundation to donate money to and they will plant trees all over the planet. In fact, did you know that Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 because of Arbor Day?2
Each and every one of us affects the future of this earth, so I encourage and challenge each of you to do your part in taking care of our planet and celebrate every day as Earth Day.
1- http://toys.about.com/od/toyshoppingtips/a/earthday.htm
2- http://earthsky.org/earth/this-date-in-science-why-celebrate-earth-day-on-april-22
Contributed by Angelia Kunz
