Environmental Conservation Efforts
Posted by Ellie08
Hi; I’m Landa, and I’m an intern at the NET Incubator.
Our environment affects us intellectually, physically, globally and personally. We can use environmental conservation efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and about the damage that has been done to the planet thus far; at the bottom of the page are some links to websites that promote enviromentally friendly behavior.
As stewards of the environment, we are responsible for preserving and protecting our resources for ourselves and for future generations. Recycling is really just common sense, and until the “modern era,” it was a common household activity. The world has changed a lot in the past century. From individually packaged food servings to disposable diapers, more garbage is generated now than ever before. The average American discards 7.5 pounds of garbage every day. This garbage, the solid waste stream, goes mostly to landfills, where it’s compacted and buried. As the waste stream continues to grow, so will pressure on our landfills, our resources and our environment.Recycling is one of the easiest ways you can help slow climate change and global warming. By recycling at home, you help significantly lower carbon emissions associated with extracting virgin materials, manufacturing products and waste disposal. (National Recycling Coalition)
Last year the amount of energy saved from recycling aluminum and steel cans, plastic PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging was equivalent to:
• The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8 million Americans in one year.
• 29% of nuclear electricity generation in the U.S. in one year.
• 7.9% of electricity generation from fossil fuels in the U.S. in one year.
• 11% of the energy produced by coal-fired power plants in the U.S.
• The energy supplied from 2.7% of imported barrels of crude oil into the U.S.
• The amount of gasoline used in almost 11 million passenger automobiles in one year.
Recycling Facts and Figures (EPA)
- In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32.5 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 52 percent of all paper, 31 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 2006, about 8,660 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.
| Material | Energy Savings | Air Pollution Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium | 95% | 95% |
| Cardboard | 24% | — |
| Glass | 5-30% | 20% |
| Paper | 40% | 73% |
| Plastics | 70% | — |
| Steel | 60% | — |
National Recycling Coalition http://www.nrc-recycle.org/whyitsimportant.aspx
Enviromental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/garbage/recycle.htm
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling
One Response to “Environmental Conservation Efforts”
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May 19th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I believe people should recycle to save the enviroment we are living in. Landfills are growing much bigger and soon they will be in our backyards if we don’t recycle. I have noticed that many companies are going green. Recycling is a great way to preserve the environment and our future.