Adam Socha/FGCU/Pollution

Pollution is the undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities. Each year, U.S. factories spew 3 million tons of toxic chemicals into the air, land, and water. Vehicle exhaust contributes roughly 60% of all carbon monoxide emissions nationwide, and up to 95% in cities. According to the US-EPA, emissions from power plants contribute to over 2,800 lung cancer deaths and 38,200 heart attacks annually in the US. It may seem that pollution is an irreversible problem. But the fact is that we can do much to reduce pollution and prevent it from getting worse. There are some steps that will drastically make a difference over time. (1) When you are buying a car, choose a hybrid type or a car that does not use fossil fuels at all. Using cleaner fuels like biodiesel and ethanol, or taking advantage of electric cars becoming available can reduce your personal emissions significantly. Another step is to drive as little as possible. Walk or ride a bicycle the rest of the time. If you live close enough to your job, try riding your bike to work. If this is not possible, try carpooling. Taking one car every day instead of four can cut the total emissions released by three-fourths, which is a lot less pollution. (2) Plant trees, have a garden and put plants inside your home. Plants and trees are a great way to help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air. Plants need carbon dioxide like we need air. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. The more trees and plants there are in the world the more oxygen and less carbon dioxide there will be. Trees especially require large amounts of carbon dioxide, and in turn, release large amounts of oxygen. (3) Recycling is an important step in reducing pollution because it saves new resources from being harvested and used. Recycling paper products like newspapers, cardboard, and other paper products could save thousands of trees each and every year. Recycling saves energy too so that there is less pollution during the production process and only around one-fourth of the energy needed to create the product from recycled versus new materials. Reducing pollution means recycling and conserving as much energy as possible because energy usually means pollution in some form unless it is from a renewable alternative energy source like solar, biomass, or wind power.  (4) Reducing pollution means using alternative, renewable, and environmentally friendly energy sources whenever possible, recycling all appropriate materials that can be reused, and conserving energy and taking steps to keep the air clean. Energy conservation can be a small step that adds up to large energy savings. Turn off the lights whenever you leave a room and do not leave the water running when you are washing dishes or brushing your teeth. Do not use aerosol sprays because these can contain ingredients that can be harmful to the ozone layer and the air quality. The next time you buy an appliance, choose one that is energy efficient and is rated as such because this can save energy and reduce both costs and pollution. Reducing pollution can be done by switching to alternative and renewable energy sources like biofuels instead of relying on non-renewable fossil fuels that are only helping pollute our planet. Biofuels and other alternative energy sources are cleaner and more environmentally friendly, but until these technologies are widely used, conserving energy should be practiced in order to minimize pollution and your impact on the earth.

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-pollution

http://www.bionomicfuel.com/what-can-we-do-to-help-reducing-pollution

This entry was posted on 16. November 2009 at 18:31 and is filed under Social Problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.