Environmentalism Essay -- essays research papers

Evironmentalism The following(a) Step Broad mixer Change Through Personal freight Introduction In the last thirty years, America has witnessed an environmental revolution. b are-assed laws like the 1963 Clean Air Act and the 1974 Safe Drinking peeing Act forged new ground in political environmentalism. Social phenomena like Earth Day, organized by Dennis Hayes in 1970, and the germ of large-scale recycling, marked by Oregons 1972 Bottle Bill, have help multifariousness the way Americans think about the environment. As we approach the third millennium, however, we moldiness reconsider our place on the planet and reflect on our efforts and pass off towards a sustainable society. As global warming becomes a scientific reality, natural disasters make monthly appearances in the headlines, and communities continue to find their ground-water pollute by industrial and nuclear waste, we essential ask ourselves are we doing ample? The environmental movement in the past has largely been a brotherly and political phenomenon. While m both of us recycle (yet still whole 35 percent of us) and take dead batteries to our towns Hazardous Waste Day, nearly Americans have not made the environment a individualized issue. rattling few of us have taken the kind of personal life-changing locomote that are necessary to create an environmentally sustainable society. It is simply unprejudiced to believe that Americas present rates of consumption, waste production, and environmental contamination are sustainable. The kind of genial change required can only top when we as individuals embrace the effort in our everyday lives. Only because will corporate America and the government realize that they too must change to maintain their customer base and public support. This kind of personal commitment to change would also create a new social ethic based on the environment under which people and companies who do not care for the earth would be held socially and financially responsible. In six parts, this article will re-examine our place in the environmental movement and investigate exactly what changes we can make in our personal lives to submit about positive change. These areas are transportation, energy, recycling and waste management, toxins and pollution, food, and water. some(prenominal) of the changes discussed will require sacrifice. But, more important, these changes will often simplify our lives, bring our families and communities closer ... ...incing letter to your boss (if youre not the boss) might convince him or her that the amount of money rescue in paper will in the end pay for the printer. When you go to the grocery store, bring your own bags instead of development paper or plastic. Consumers often wonder which of the two is better the serve is neither. When shopping for smaller items, tell the clerk not to give you a bag (frequently their default action) if you can simply carry the item in your hand. Buy durable, quality item s that will last and lend themselves to repair when broken. When things do break, remember that fixing is almost always cheaper than replacing, and youll have the satisfaction of minimizing your garbage output. When you no longer need something, give it away instead of throwing it away. Organizations like The Salvation Army will gladly accept almost any used household item. Remember that Benjamin Franklins maxim, "A penny saved is a penny earned," goes for the environment, too. Every time we reuse something, weve saved another(prenominal) like it from having to be made. Every time we recycle something, weve saved energy, pollution, and the materials from cosmos mined from our natural resources.