Two weeks ago, the words
‘global warming’ were not a part of my everyday vocabulary. I wouldn’t be able
to tell you when the last time I had a conversation about the hole in the ozone
layer or ways I can decrease my carbon footprint. Taking on the task of going
green has completely changed my mindset. I used to think that global warming was
not a major problem for my generation. I figured that I would be dead and gone before
the world would show the major warning signs of distress. But clearly I was
wrong! My wakeup call came to me after reading Bill McKibben’s book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet,
that global warming is here now, and is here to stay if the billions of the earth’s
inhabitants do not make some major changes. . Forget the future; the time is
now to begin to fix the problem, because the reality is if we do not take action
now there will not be a future.
From my last post, I learned a few ways of how to reduce
the amount of waste that accumulates in a college dorm room. I took some of
those methods and applied them to my life. Midnight food craves are common for college
students. Instead of making that late night Cookout run it has been peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches for me! This means less food containers piling up
in the trash can and it saves gas. Killing two birds with one stone! Also I
attempt to recycle everything that I can. I have also tackled conserving energy
and water usage. If it’s a beautiful sunny day outside, I shut off the ceiling
light and open the blinds. When I brush my teeth, I do not leave the water
running. Once I began to live a more sustainable lifestyle, it became natural
for me to choose the eco-friendly option. But I have noticed that in my attempt
to go green, the people around me are having more difficulty making a change. At
night in my suite, I turn off all of the lights in my room, my television and
unplug my computer and phone chargers. I also turn off all of the lights in the
bathrooms, common room and finally the hallway. To my dismay, some of my suitemates
sleep with the television on and sometimes in the middle of the night I wake up
to the light from the hallway seeping through the crack of the door. I may have
realized that a change in my lifestyle is necessary to help the planet, but for
others it is a little more difficult. So how do we change the way people think
and live?
Drastically changing one’s way of living is going to be a
huge task and not an easy one. The world’s
population needs to reevaluate the relationship of quality of life and the
standard of living. We can get by off only needing the necessities and trying
to eliminate the unnecessary wants from our lives. I think we need to spread continued awareness
on the issue of global warming and the negative effects it has on our
environment. With our generation being a technological age, we can do this
through Facebook, twitter, YouTube, TV etc. This problem is not going to go
away just by wishing it away. It is time that we take action and take the
needed steps towards a more sustainable way of living.
T.Y.G
i TOTALLY agree with you. The key here and it is so powerful.. you have access and savvy to technology. I think getting your pals in the suite to follow suit is a challenge but not insurmountable. This is marvelous..
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