Going Green. April 22 is a national holiday where all the young grade school children go up to their local

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1 Cayla Walsh Communication 247 Proposition Paper October 25, 2010 Going Green April 22 is a national holiday where all the young grade school children go up to their local park and either plant a tree or pick up trash. Earth Day has been given a brand new purpose in the energy-saving, recycling-world society lives in today. Going green and worrying about the environment seems to be on everyone s mind lately. While some may get frustrated with being told to recycle their plastic bottle verses throwing it in the trash, there really are simple steps that can be taken to improve the environment. Going green has not only begun to create more jobs in the market, but it is also so popular that it is given its own type of tourism. By just one person taking the proper steps, the environment can be healthier, safer place. Recycling is probably the most well known item that people think of when they hear the words going green. An author of the article Why Everyone Should Recycle available on Professor s House states, Recycling is sort of like exercising: we all know we should do it, but not all of us do it as often as we should. Taking the time to recycle is a very big energy saver to the environment. It takes more energy to produce something from scratch than it does to recycle it, and it creates more air pollution from factories to produce these new products. So, is it that hard to throw that plastic bottle in the recycle bin verses the trash can? Some specific examples are that it takes twice as much energy to burn plastic than to recycle it, it takes 64% more energy

2 to make paper than to recycle it, and recycling one pound of steel can save enough energy to run a 60-watt light bulb for an entire day. Another reason everyone should take the time to recycle is because the landfills that are in communities are overflowing. They are running out of space to store all the trash from community members. Due to the lack of space, some cities began to dump their trash into the ocean because they had nowhere to put it. Except for doing this only hurt the marine life and created another set of problems for environmentalists to deal with. Of the garbage that is in landfills, 60% to 75% of it could be recycled. By recycling this trash more space will be available in the landfills for items that are non-recyclable. Another issue with this is that contaminants from the trash that could have been recycled is seeping into the dirt, which is overall getting washed away and ends up in the water systems such as lakes, rivers, and streams. This is a hazard to humans and their health as well as animals that use natural resources such as these for survival (Why Everyone Should Recycle). With society now living in the 21 st century, environmentally friendly products are everywhere. Because not everyone does recycle, companies are now coming up with new ways to package their products that help reduce consumers carbon footprint. It can take several years in order for plastic to decompose in the ground, so now products such as water bottles are being created using less plastic than before. Another popular item is the new Sunchips bag that will decompose once in the landfills. A whole line of cleaning products that are environmentally friendly has also come out and does not emit toxic chemicals into the air unlike other harsh products. These items tend to use as few of unnatural ingredients as possible to help reduce on toxic fumes and keep homes child and pet friendly. Even clothing designers are getting into the

3 craze of creating environmentally friendly accessories that are sold in private boutiques as well as chain stores such as Wal-Mart (Environmentally Friendly Products). Hybrid cars are also another product that the 21 st century is using to go green. These cars are said to appeal to all consumers because of their many benefits they offer. Not only do these cars benefit the consumer, but they also benefit the environment. Hybrid cars have lower fuel emissions that can help to curb the greenhouse effect. Also these cars release fewer harmful pollutants into the air allowing for better breathing and lowering of global warming. To benefit the consumer switching from an average sedan to the average hybrid car, a driver can save up to $500 a year in gas. Also, many states are offering tax incentives to those consumers who purchase hybrid cars in hopes of getting more of the population thinking about the environment. Currently hybrid cars can get about 60 miles to the gallon, but with increasing technology they are expected to one day get as high as 190 miles per gallon. Not only will this save the consumer cash at the gas station, but it aids the environment by not emitting so many harmful toxins into the air (Why Buy a Hybrid Car). Another very popular aspect of going green is the use of alternative energy. Essentially alternative energy is just a phrase for using the environments natural resources to help power daily tasks. Solar and wind power are two of the most popular energy forms that are being looked into. Currently scientists cannot decide which one would be better suited and conserve the most energy, so they are looking into combining the two to make solar wind power (Alternative Energy News). There are many benefits to using solar power but the main one is that it keeps the environment clean and saves energy. Solar power is energy that is derived from the sun and stored to be used for everyday tasks. With technology on the rise, solar energy can be used for many items such as laptop chargers to air-conditioning units. By installing solar

4 panels a consumer can essentially eliminate their utility bills. Pollution into the air is reduced when using these solar panels because the factories do not have to produce as much electricity to facilities to complete everyday tasks. Solar power is also a renewable resource which means it will be around forever and not run out such as oil or coal (Why Use Solar Power). Another popular alternative energy source is wind energy. This is also a renewable resource meaning it will always be around and never go bad. Like solar energy, it does not pollute any emissions into the air because factories do not have to work harder to send out this energy. Wind plants also do not emit green house gasses which are also harmful to the environment. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it would take 90 to 175 million trees to produce the same air quality that wind power plants produce. After the initial purchase of wind turbines, this form of energy uses no fuel and requires minimal maintenance making it an ideal form of renewable energy. Although using wind to supply electricity to necessary facilities cannot be stored, it is still aids the environment and helps reduce the pollution and fossil fuels that factories emit through this process (Wind Energy Basics). Going green is very important in today s society. It shapes the future of upcoming generations and the world they are going to live in. By taking the proper steps now the environment can be saved and sustained for the future. Recycling, the production of environmentally friendly products and alternative energy sources are just a few of the ways an individual can go green, but it will take more than just one person. With everyone coming together and taking the simple steps to improve the quality of life, the Earth will be a safer place to live on.

5 Bibliography Alternative Energy News. (2010). Alternative Energy. Available: [2010, October 21]. This site is very credible. It is completely devoted to alternative energy and technology as its slogan says: Alternative energy news and information resources about renewable energy technologies. This site gives news, articles, events, and a directory all devoted to alternative energy forms. As their site says their goals is to raise public awareness and encourage renewable technology research. This site is hevily sponsored by Google and they offer many different ways to contact their administrative office to discuss any flaws within their cite. Environmentally Friendly Products. (2010). Environmentally Friendly Products. Available: [2010, October 21]. This site is a credible source because it offers a main message and sticks to it. Its sole purpose was to promote environmentally friendly products at which it succeeded. It also offered links that one could click on to research even more about the specific products as well as many other helpful hints to apply to ones everyday life. Also the last time this site was updated was October 16, 2010, which also showed it had been reviewed recently and double checked for accurate information. Why Buy a Hybrid Car. (2005). Hybrid-Car. Available: [2010, October 21]. This website is very credible because it offers so much information about its topic. There are at least 14 other links that discuss hybrid cars, about them, and why they are good for the environment. This site also had many brand names such as Chevrolet and Ford giving their market information for hybrid cars. There was very good information on this site and it is a part of the Hybrid Car Organization and backed by a group of

6 individuals who believe in achieving better environmentally friendly products. They also offered contact information for any questions regarding the legitimacy of the site. Why Everyone Should Recycle. (2007). Professor s House. Available: [2010, October 21]. This website was credible because it offered many articles on a variety of topics. They allowed for viewers to sign up for a newsletter as well as offered contact information if one would like to do so. While the site did not specify an author of the article, they did have legitimate advertisements such as Google and popular cold medicine Mucinex D that allows for viewers to see advertisers trust in this site. Why Use Solar Power. (2010). Easy-Solar-Power. Available: [2010, October 21]. This site was credible because it offered many good facts for its topic. It also gave a lot of information on the different kinds of solar panels and how to use them. This site was backed by many renewable energy sites and suppliers that are familiar with the material on this site. Wind Energy Basics. (2010). Wind Energy Development. Available: [2010, October 21]. This site is credible because it is an online public information resource. Its main goal is to inform the general public about wind energy and how it s environmentally friendly. This site is part of the Bureau of Land Management and has provided the information on this site. The U.S. Department of Energy has also provided information to this site, both of which are credible because they are nationally known environmental organizations.