Living Environmentally

I do not have extensive knowledge on environmental issues beyond the well-known ones, and that is why I am taking the class. But right now I feel the strongest about the lifestyle of the consumers in America. The excessive packaging of products, wasting food, not recycling, and driving excessively (to name a few). The second part of Green Planet Blues that we read for this week really hit home for me. I feel the biggest problem is the ease at which people thrown away trash, fail to recycle, and waste unused products.

Recycling and reusing is so easy that everyone should do it in some way. And making small lifestyle changes will go a LONG way. It goes much farther than saving a few trees. People can improve others' lives by giving unwanted things like clothing, furniture, or appliances to charities rather than throwing them away. Recycling can raise money for special causes or reduce the size of landfills, making room for more homes, schools, etc. And by simply asking the McDonald's drive-thu window to hand over the burger without the extra bag and handful of napkins... may seem trivial, but makes a difference.

Living in an environmentally friendly way has a different meaning for everyone. One can take it to the extent that is possible for his or her personal situation. Since I was young, I have been concerned about the environment and mindful of little lifestyle changes that will make a difference. It is due to the Sesame Street clip of a child brushing his teeth with the water running, and as he does, a fish pictured in the ocean simultaneously loses its home. It's amazing how that was so influential. I make sure to pick up litter where ever I am, I recycle as much as possible, and I give everything I do not want anymore to charities. As a busy college student however, running from one place to another, I tend to slip out of these ways. Eating on the run is the biggest problem. I cannot stand the huge plastic containers that to-go food comes in, but when I have 5 minutes to get to class, there just is not the time to worry about it.

I am very aware that I should be doing more to live environmentally friendly, and I am very eager to learn all of the ways that I can do that. As I get into the habit of making more substantial changes to my daily routine, I will be able to help foster the same sense of environmental responsibility in others. And I am looking forward to that.