Nadirah’s
Perspective:
With
the short-lived Earth Day this past Monday, as certified Chicago Conservation
Corp representatives (environmental org.), hubby and I have been trained in
identifying environmental issues, learning new solutions, and sharing all
information with a listening audience.
One of our personal and most practiced mantras is: You are either part
of the problem or a part of the solution… we also chose the latter of the two. To go with the theme of Spring (the season of
renewal) we felt the need to take the time to explain some reasons why we
should all become active participants in our community and introduce easy
solutions that we all can incorporate into our daily routines/lives in an
effort to help conserve the resources of Mother Earth.
I
don’t know about everyone else, but I personally am sick and tired of looking
at the empty potato chip and fast food bags, broken bottles, pop/beer cans,
used diapers and napkins scattered throughout the streets/neighborhoods of
Chicago. Litter, excessive waste,
poisonous gases, and receding/wasting water sources are in abundant use in
today’s society. Did you know the
following?
— Running
a hot water faucet for five minutes is the equivalent of burning a 60-watt
light bulb for 14 hours.
— Silent/unknown
toilet leaks will waste 30-500 gallons of water per day.
— Food
scraps make up 12% of the waste that Americans generate every day. That adds up to about 28 million tons of food
that gets thrown out over the course of a year.
I
know it sounds crazy but these little issues add up into an enormous problem.
Another major issue is the air we are breathing. Do you know about VOCs?
Volatile Organic
Compound
— Definition: a significant contributor to indoor air
pollution; when inhaled can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches,
and nausea.
— VOCs
are found in many household products, including paints, paint strippers, cleansers and disinfectants, many plastics,
and wood treated with formaldehyde.
How
does this affect us?
Ozone
is created when the VOCs produced by smokestacks and tailpipes react with
sunlight to form a molecule with 3 oxygen atoms. Breathing in ground-level ozone causes
wheezing, coughing, inflammation of the lungs and permanent lung damage with
repeat exposures.
— The
main source of ozone and particle pollution is from the burning of fossil
fuels, i.e. gas, fumes, etc.
— Particle
pollution can aggravate breathing problems (asthma) but has also been linked to
heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer.
Have
you ever notice that sometimes the Weather Channel or major news programs
announce high alerts on certain pollution/ozone days. People with asthma, respiratory problems and
the elder are told to stay indoors or take precautionary measures if we are to
go outside. This is why!!!!
Here
are some solutions that we can offer to start the going green process within
your household:
— Use
natural recipes for cleaning agents in your home.
— Turn
the water off while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face could
save 10-20 gallons of water per person per week (Helps your water bill).
— Check
home for water leaks: sinks, toilets, outdoor spouts, garden hoses, etc.
— Put
food coloring in your toilet tank. If it
seeps into toilet bowl, you have a leak.
— Install
low–flow showerheads and sink aerators.
— Use
leftover drinking water to water your houseplants.
— Join
the Blue Cart Recycling movement to rid of excessive paper, plastic, and
metals.
Here
are some easy Green Household Cleansing Products
recipes you can create (with your child/children) to avoid or at least limit
your exposure of VOCs:
Window Glass Cleaner
— ½
teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
— ¼ cup vinegar or apple cider vinegar (for
milder smell)
— 2
cups of water
Furniture Polish
— Any
vegetable oil, lemon oil, lemon juice.
— Mix
2 parts oil, 1 part lemon juice
We
hope this information helps and has convince you to start or continue to be
active in the progression of making our world a cleaner and healthier planet
for our children of the future. If you
are interested in become more active or just want more information on green
practices, please visit: http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org
Troy’s
Perspective:
Our Mother Earth is the
foundation of our existence. Due to our
destructive occupation of the earth and our convenience, right now we are
causing irreversible effects to our planet. The earth is heating up faster than
ever before. The Earth’s oceans are becoming
toxic and changing the ecosystem; the air quality is increasing in pollution
and causing sickness and irritation to millions world-wide. We must act and act
now!!!
Have
you ever wondered what happens to our garbage? The United States is currently
#1 in garbage accumulation. A study was done in 2006 where a young scientist
used hundreds of GPS technology in
over 1,000 pieces of garbage on the East Coast. Common garbage was used for this experiment including: potato
chip bags, plastic grocery bags, pop cans, candy wrappers, etc. After six
months, various pieces of garbage were found in Canada, Mexico, and California and in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Many of us aimlessly walk our cities and
towns without any notice or care and litter our communities with trash.
Why
should we change??? Trash is everywhere, our parks streets roads, etc.
What can we do???
Rethink, reuse and recycle. By using the supportive information provided by my
wife, we can dramatically make a difference one person at a time. By changing
your lifestyle decisions and spreading the knowledge given, we can heal the
damage caused to our earth. We can reuse cups, plates and silverware for
starters instead of constantly purchasing items that accumulate waste and
sometimes the eye-soar seen above. Recycling is a great way to reduce the
enormous amount of trash that is overflowing in our current landfills.
We are currently running
out of landfills and so I wonder what happens in 10 or 20 years when that
place called "Away" is full everywhere?
Children in various countries are
playing and living in landfills
Trash is washing up on our beaches
Trash is being consumed by our
natural wild life
The circular rotations
of the water currents draw waste material in, which has led to the accumulation
of debris in huge floating 'clouds' of waste, leading to the informal name “The
Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or “Eastern Garbage Patch.”
 |
| THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH |
| WORLD DIAGRAM |
Effects
of Garbage on Marine Life
It has been estimated
that over a million sea-birds and one hundred thousand marine mammals and sea
turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement.
The Ocean areas
called dead zones where there is more plastic and debris floating than fish
swimming
| OUR OCEANS RESEMBLE OUR LAND |
Mother Earth is the
most valuable resource known to man and now is the time for change. She is sick and screaming for our help. Please do what you can. Consider the helpful tidbits
of information from my wife and Rethink,
Reuse and Recycle… Save our Earth!!!
