Stephen Tavaglione (FGCU): The “Green” Movement

People talk about it on the news, in books, movies, and casual conversation.  The “Go Green” movement is sweeping through America, Europe, and even the entire world.  Everywhere you go you see something about going green, from Hybrid vehicles, to “please recycle” signs dotting the walls of our local towns.  Sadly, the movement is just starting, and people aren’t the least bit optimistic about it.  The problem is, a large majority of people think that what they do will not matter.  They choose to let the “big guys” do it, such as the massive automobile corporations and various transportation businesses.  If people actually believed in themselves, and everyone collectively pitched in to help out, even picking up trash on the side of the road could do more good then anyone could fathom, though it’s not the only thing that can be done. There are hundreds of things our community can do to get involved in the “green” movement.  From simply recycling, to buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle, the possibilities are endless, and all help in one way or another.  If we all stop doubting our ability to help contribute to the green movement, and take some initiative, we might actually get something done in our communities and eventually create better, cleaner world.

Many people wonder why all of a sudden we need to start going green.  They look outside and wonder, what’s so different outside that we have to make all these complicated changes?  The thing is, the Earth is aging.  Even though it ages at an extremely slow pace, the long-term effects from damaging the Earth can have an enormous impact on everyone, everywhere, though it may not be apparent at first glance.  One of the many outcomes of harming the planet is Global Warming.  The release of aerosols and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere from various objects, including but not limited to cars and paint, are destroying the ozone layer by weakening the layer that blocks harmful heat from reaching the surface.  People think this is a myth, yet sea levels rise and glaciers melt around the world.  This is one of many ways the world is being hurt by our mistreatment of its bountiful resources.  Who knows what will become of the world 10, 20, or even a 100 years from now.  People could be sitting on small islands around the water-filled world that used to be earth wondering who could have been stupid enough to let the world come to this.  This won’t happen as long as everyone around the world takes a stand and starts to change their ways.  The world can progressively get better over time but it needs us, the human race, to reverse the damage we have done.  In a better world, people will be happier and conditions would improve in many aspects of life other then the environment.

There are numerous ways in which our community can be a part of the green movement.  Making our households green is one of the first steps toward getting our community green.  An organization known as PATH has given 10 ways in which you can make your house greener.  People spend loads of money buying and paying for the cheaply made light bulbs you can get at your local hardware store.  Rather then getting these cheap bulbs, why not get CFLs, (compact fluorescent light bulbs), which can save you up to $100 a year.  You can program your thermostat to go up during the day and then go down during the night, or put it up when you leave the house and then turn it down again when you return, resulting in hundreds of dollars saved on energy bills.  You can plug air leaks, located around doors, plumbing, and numerous other places in the house, as well as keep your air conditioning system up to date and clean.  If you install a low-flow showerhead, an average family of 4 can save up to $200 to $300 a year.  Putting an insulated jacket around your water heater, as well as turning the temperature down to 120 degrees could save loads of money as well as prevent scalding.  Planting trees around your property so that they create a shadier setting can reduce your cooling costs up to 25%.  Buying energy star products when replacing common household items such as stoves and microwaves can lower your energy costs anywhere from 10 – 30%.  Use low-VOC or no-VOC paints to reduce the organic compound level in your house.  One final thing you could do if your just green-crazy is to get a blower door test.  Though this costs anywhere from $200 to $400, it is more then worth it and can be evened out in energy saved in under 2 years.  In conclusion, after reading these simple and easy ways to go green in your household, there are no excuses for disregarding the green movement (Top 10).

The vast majority of us are full time workers, whether it is in an actual job, volunteering or being a full time student, we all work in some way around our community.  In these places where we work, many things can be done that are similar to or have similar outcomes as the ways you use to go green in your house do.  McGill University’s sustainability office gives a few ways in which you can go green in your workplace.  Use less paper by reusing old paper and setting printers and copiers to double-sided so that they use both sides of the paper.  Instead of giving employees or students bills in paper form for whatever they print, have an electronic bill made so that students can pay before they print and it will save paper from not having bills made.  In your own personal office or dorm room, turn your computer screen off or put it to sleep as well as turn the lights and any other electronics off when leaving or not using them.  Also, learn how to save energy while using your computer.  Most computers have power saving functions that can make a profound impact.  One last way you can go green around your workplace is to recycle old ink cartridges and computers, as well as phones and other recyclable supplies.  Using all these green techniques can save your workplace loads of money, so there is no excuse to not participate (Make your…).

Working together to make our community green is easier then people think.  If we come together and do simple things here and there, our community will eventually become a much greener and better place.  Planting trees is one major thing we could work on, and it is easy.  Planting seeds and then taking care of the trees as they grow is an easy and enjoyable task.  Picking up trash is something that you don’t need a group to do – it can be done individually on your way to work, class, the gym, or any other daily activity you do.  Fundraisers can be held to raise money for community projects, such as purchasing new, fuel-efficient buses, more recycling cans, or seeds to plant trees and other plants.  In our schools we can introduce new methods of teaching our children the importance of protecting nature and letting them know how to be green early on.  Recess in more natural environments can teach children to love nature, there for protecting it.

One of the issues people don’t participate in the green movement is that it’s too expensive.  When you go out to your local dealership and see “hybrids” that cost 3 times the price of the vehicle you have now, it’s hard to argue with that.  There are many ways in which you don’t need to spend a lot of money to become efficient and green, as well as save money in the long run.  An article by Yuliya Chernova in the Wall Street Journal states some ways in which we can go green without breaking the bank.  High tech thermostats cost anywhere from $50 to $150, but save you loads of energy by setting it to lower the temperature when everyone is sleeping and vice versa.  This pays back in about a year.  Motion sensor lights turn off when no people are present in the room, making them a high energy saving product.  They cost anywhere from $40 to $60 and pay back in under a year.  A big way to save energy is to insulate the attic of your house, which can save a lot of heat that would normally escape through the roof.  It costs anywhere from $500 to $700 and pays back in under a year and a half.  In regards to the gas guzzling car crisis, it’s ok if you need time to save up for a new, more fuel efficient car.  If you need two years to save up so you can trade your Ford F150 in for a Hybrid Honda Civic, then go ahead and save.  Being green has some cost up front, but the outcome of doing some of these things can double, even triple your money in return.  Think of going green as some type of investment, and a very good one at that.

The green movement is somewhat new.  Ten years ago, nobody even cared what kind of car they drove, what kind of light bulbs they use, or what the long term effects of using a high VOC paint was.  Now, as the effects of our hurting of nature continue to worsen, people are waking up to the idea that we need to work together to stop this global crisis that is the life of the world as we know it.  The green movement is not just a movement; it’s the key to keeping this world going strong.  We need to stand together as a community and work to better it by joining and participating in this movement.  By becoming a green community, other communities will notice, as well as cities, and by setting an example we will spread the movement like wild fire and save this wonderful world from a horrific turn for the worst.  By the famous words of the sports-oriented company super star Nike, just do it.

This entry was posted on 29. March 2010 at 23:29 and is filed under Uncategorized. 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.