Going Green

Three quarters of emissions in 2004 were coming from road traffic (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). Emissions used from transportation are forecasted to increase from the year 2007-2030 by about 80% according to studies done by James Woodcock who is currently studying climate change and health from car fuels (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). This is due to the fact that the emissions from vehicles are increasing significantly and are higher than any other energy fragment (Woodcock, p.1930, 2009). The only way to lower this percentage is to decrease the number of individual automobiles on the road and increase the number of public transit systems, starting long distance walking to work or school, carpooling or even biking to destinations. These principles would

Some ways that I could have a positive impact on the environment would be installing solar panels on my house, carpooling to sporting activities or school, having a litter less lunch box, always recycling at home, implementing recycling bins at school and turning off all lights at home before going out.

Pertaining to the “day without cars” tradition the city of Bogota, Columbia : “It has seen the construction of 118 bicycle paths, the most of any Latin American city…” (Belsky, 3) A single day without cars has encouraged not only, new businesses to spring up and infrastructure to be improved but also physical activity to become more common in countries that implement such a tradition. In my own experience, a less sedentary lifestyle means lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and other weight and activity related ailments. In addition car usage reduction seems to lessen stress, a claim that mother of two, Heidrun Walter testifies to. “ ‘When I had a car I was always tense. I’m much happier this way.’...” (Rosenthal 1). This is a benefit that cannot be ignored as higher stress levels can take a toll on your mental health. Last but certainly not least, is the fact that less smog will discourage the pollution-induced respiratory illnesses permeating the developed world. Polluted air is not meant to be breathed and less of it is better for the whole of the

The atmosphere is another important component of the biosphere. Every day, countless cars and factories releases greenhouse gases and pollutes it. A simple strategy would be do not use cars. Instead of driving, people can bike to work or even walk there. In fact, carpooling and taking public transit would create less atmospheric pollution than an individual driving their own car. In addition, people can buy locally grown foods to reduce their “greenhouse footprint”. By buying locally grown foods, it supports local businesses as well reduces emissions because the food traveled shorter distances. And finally, eco-activists and even concerned folks can hire lobbyists to exert pressure on the government to create environmental policies that help to protect the atmosphere.

As a seventeen year old who is currently in between jobs (I’m only babysitting for a family two or three times a month), I do not have to travel very often or very far. It is because of this that I typically only travel to five different locations from my home. On the nights that I am babysitting, I travel 18 miles to the family’s home. I also travel to the local farmer’s market, which is only one mile away, the gym (6.5 miles away), church (18 miles), and to the movies (6 miles). In order to get to these places I drive the family car, which is a 2007 KIA Sportage and it is an efficient means of transportation.

Every single day I have to ride my bicycle throughout the city of Miami. The perks I would say is that it is safer for the environment by causing less pollution in the air and I get a good cardio workout every day. The negative outcome of not having a car however is that I almost get hit or what feels like killed every other hour on the street. But how the person perceives this situation is really what is at hand. I take the time every once in a while and stop near a park or by a lake and just admire nature in its vast beauty and how truly wonderful it is to be alive, most people do not see how much of a blessing it is to just wake up every single day and being healthy. Having to worry about the weather is another issue that I have to be constantly worrying about, but thankfully at the end of the day it is just a little rain, unless it is a tremendous storm which dramatically increases my chance of being killed while riding my bike.

Arguably, humanity is re-designing the planet Earth every hour of every day, either deliberately by rational planning or inadvertently with billions of unconsidered actions, and in the main ruining it. We all carry a responsibility for the destruction and therefore we all need to mend our ways, but of course some groups within society have more power than others to take remedial action: engineers, architects, planners and designers for instance. If they became pro-active rather than re-active, they could play a crucial role: their skills, imagination and ingenuity could help preserve the planet for future generations.

Many Americans do not realize the full extent of how much we negatively affect the environment. There has been quite a bit of research and studies conducted on how to become more environmentally friendly; however, these are simply ideas and without action taken from citizens it is all worthless. It is quite exhilarating to have a goal and then have that goal be achieved; you get to see all your hard work be paid off. Many goals are inspired from one thing or another. The documentary No Impact Man makes you feel motivated to take a stand and help the environment. In the documentary, it is awesome to see how hard this family worked through the year to make a change and aid the environment. After calculating my carbon emissions, finding out how

Getting CFL bulbs can save you over $40 a year rather than keeping your regular incandescent lights. Purchasing water conserving showerheads and toilets can also help not only by cutting emissions, but it will save you money too! When building or purchasing a house, be sure that the insulation in it isn't bad. It needs to be good and reliable. This saves on energy and your money as well. Widows are important too. These are just a few out of the hundreds of ways that you can help. So when people think that they can't help, or have no authority when it comes to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide you use, each person can help. If every person took this serious and pulled their share, maybe the carbon dioxide emissions wouldn't be as high and maybe our oceans wouldn't have to suffer.

We can reduce air pollution by Conserving energy, Use energy efficient light bulbs, Participate in your local utility’s energy conservation programs, Limit driving by carpooling, using public transportation, biking and walking, Combine Shopping trips for fewer trips, Use electric or hand-powered lawn care equipment and mobiles, Be careful not to spill gasoline when filling up your car, Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full, Choose environmentally friendly cleaners and bleaches, Advocate for emission reductions from power plants and more stringent national vehicle emission standards, Decrease construction, Decrease fuel burning, Space heaters: Use them only when someone is awake

Global warming is quickly becoming the biggest threat to the long-term survival of America’s wildlife (Global Warming 1). The temperature has been rising since the time factories were first introduced. Even though people knew how harmful greenhouse gases are, they did not realize the long term effects that it would have on the environment. Both wildlife and human existence are affected by this, but taking a step to improve the environment can be difficult. On the other hand, many organizations from different countries are coming together to help one another reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the air and are improving the way they live. Another way to spread information is with the use of advertisements. Advertisements are a very powerful tool to use because they help marketers get their point across to their audience effectively through the use of visuals paired with phrases. Some examples for effective advertisements are from the organizations called Green Union and Plant for the Plant. Both advertisements are effective in presenting the importance of taking care of the environment because how the ad is formatted, the color choices made by marketers, and the specific phrases that capture the audience 's attention.

A SMART goal I would make for environmental wellness is to work on is to minimize the use of a car when I can bike or walk. I would achieve this goal by making sure to walk or ride a bike anywhere 2 times a week instead of driving a

First of all, reduce the time you are in the car and use your legs to move .Use Bikes! People are getting lazier as time goes, but you can make the change. If you walk more, you help your planet and you help yourself, so why not to do it?

Being lazy is a great thing because so much time is saved. Time may be saved, but in exchange, the environment gets destroyed instead. Driving a car to work may be faster, but it also destroys the environment so much faster. Biking to the store serves the same purpose and it saves the environment greatly. Cars are a huge contributor to global warming. Cars and trucks combined are responsible for one-fifth of all US emissions. They release about 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases for every gallon of gas used (Union of Concerned Scientists). About five pounds of those gases come from production, extraction, and delivery of gasoline. More than 19 pounds are released per gallon from a car's tailpipe (Union of Concerned Scientists). 1.2 billion cubic yards of polluted air is from manufacture. Painting and coating cars produces 40 million pounds of air releases and 24 million pounds of hazardous waste a year. A car's lifetime produces 1.3 billion cubic yard of polluted air and scatters 40 pounds of worn tire particles, brake debris, and worn road surface into the atmosphere (Bike to Work Day). Pollutants released a year add up to over 12,140 lbs for cars and 17,000 for light trucks. Some of those pollutants are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides (Bike to Work Day). By choosing to bike or walk instead of drive, the amount of gases and waste contributing to global warming, drops drastically. Choosing to drive instead of taking a greener form of transportation is a great threat to the environment.

Automobiles are a major producer of greenhouse gas. One gallon of fuel burned puts five pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Let’s say that an average car gets 25 miles to the gallon, and that car has a ten gallon tank. Every time a car gets filled up with gas, another fifty pounds of carbon dioxide have been put back into the atmosphere, and that is just one car. The automobile industry is very important to the world economy, so I am not saying that we should stop making cars, but there are other solutions. The recent trend of hybrid electric cars that get up to fifty miles to the gallon are becoming more popular. Also public transportation is very important. City dwellers that live downtown, do not need to drive their cars to work. Every major city has a form of public transportation that can get anyone around the city, and for that gallon of gas a bus burns the same five pounds reaches the atmosphere, but instead of one