As a kid, I watched a lot of TV;
this meant that I watched a lot of commercials. One commercial that stood out
to me was one with dancing bottles that had faces singing “R-E-C-Y-C-L-E that
is what it means to me, REDUCE AND REUSE.” At the time I did not know what
recycling, reducing, or reusing meant, but the song was catchy and that is why I
liked it. Now, however, I realize recycling is more than just a song bottles
sing about, but a way of saving the earth, saving the earth from waste. Recycling
provides average citizens an opportunity to help the planet; recycling is an
easy and effective way of reducing waste, saving resources, and lowering air
pollution.
Some may wonder why recycling is important;
they wonder whether it is really worth the time and effort put into it. By recycling
just one newspaper trees are saved, because a recycled newspaper just needs to
be washed and stripped of ink and it can be used again, but if a newspaper
needs to be made from scratch a tree must be cut down and processed. The cutting
down of the tree not only harms biodiversity, but also releases carbon dioxide
in the air. This one act of recycling has not just saved species living in a forest,
but also prevented the release of a greenhouse gas. One person may believe they
cannot make a difference, but they could not be any farther from the truth. Imagine
one person deciding not to recycle their water bottle because they are only a
single person and not much harm could be done; now multiply this number by 315
million. If everyone in the United States were to think this way, then the
amount of trash in landfills would skyrocket and resources would begin to
deplete. Recycling is a way for everyone to help, it is a collective effort
that all must contribute to. According to National Geographic the amount of
energy that can be saved by recycling an aluminum can has the capability to
power a television for 3 hours. This
energy could be used to heat a home or run a generator, recycling has now saved
a valuable resource.
People underestimate the impacts of
recycling and for this reason initiatives should be taken. The public needs to
be informed of how they can help out their community and the world as a whole,
through programs and projects. Classes in schools like Environmental Science
provide insight for students on how to help their environment and teach them
the importance of sustainability, these classes are vital to the earth’s
survival. Recycling can do so much more than people can imagine, and once they
learn this progress can begin to be made.
As I typed this paper the recycling
jingle was on repeat in my head, those bottles taught me something that it would
take me a couple years to figure out and that is the necessity of recycling.
Recycling protects resources, brings communities together, and keeps the earth
usable for future generations. Think about the children.
Works Cited:
Cathy. "How Many Trees Do You save by Recycling Paper?" Green Home Realty. Social Media Advisors, 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
Hutchinson, Alex. "Recycling By the Numbers: The Truth About Recycling." Popular Mechanics. Hearst Communications, 13 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
Kazmayer, Milton. "How Much Energy Does Recycling Save? | National Geographic." Green Living. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
I agree with you here; the environment has always been important to me as a grew up known as "the nature girl." I flipped if I noticed someone throw trash on the ground or fail to recycle their water bottle and that hasn't changed today. I think if more people realized the significance recycling has on the environment and how this effects them, they would attempt to participate more. Many people are still on the sidelines regarding the movement to recycle more, but with public education, more people could be made aware of its positive effects.
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