Currently, there are very, very many environmental problems, but if everyone starts to contribute a little bit, this will significantly affect the health of our planet! Children today have many more opportunities than before to help save our planet from pollution and waste. Thanks to the internet, you have more resources at your fingertips than your parents at your age could find in an entire library. Read this article and you will learn about some interesting and useful things you can do for our planet.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: At home
Step 1. Help with recycling
Recycling programs are becoming more popular and affordable. With their help, you can clean and recycle certain types of waste. Thus, materials can be reused, and producers no longer need to extract more natural resources. Help adults sort waste and recycle it regularly.
- Different areas have different options for recycling, so find out what can and cannot be recycled in your area. Typically, you can at least recycle paper, thin cardboard (such as milk bags and shopping bags), thin metal (such as soda cans), and glass. In some regions, it is possible to recycle thick cardboard, foam and other materials.
- Organize recycling. Make sure bottles, glass and cans are clean enough. They don't need to shine with purity, but they don't need to be half full at the same time. Then sort the waste by type. If you have separate containers for each type of waste in your home, it will be easier for you to properly sort the waste for recycling. Even if you don't have these containers at home, you can still sort the waste to get an idea of how much of each type of material your family uses each day.
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Do this regularly. Depending on how big your family is, this may become your weekly task, or you may need to devote a little time to it every day.
If a special machine regularly picks up waste for recycling, do not forget to put the sorted waste out on the street in advance
Step 2. Think about what you personally use and wear
Children grow out of clothes, grow up and stop using toys and other things. Try to wear and use other items as long as possible. If you decide to buy yourself a new backpack, just because you are tired of the old one, you should know that by doing so you are wasting precious resources of our planet. The same applies to literally everything you use. Take care and value what you have.
Step 3. Reduce your energy consumption
The energy that is used in your home for things like hot water, air conditioning, and electricity is generated in various power plants that recycle a certain type of fuel to convert it into energy. Some fuels are cleaner than others, for example hydropower (energy from flowing water) is cleaner than energy from coal; but regardless of the method, the extraction of energy increases the burden on the environment. Contribute to the environment by using as little energy as possible.
- Turn off lights and electronic devices (such as TVs and game consoles) when you are no longer using them. However, before turning off the family computer, ask your parents - sometimes the computer needs to be left on for various reasons. During the day, open curtains and blinds and use natural light instead of electric.
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Maintain a moderate temperature in your home. If you have an air conditioner at home, ask your parents to set it to at least 22 ° C in summer. If you have a thermostat in your home, do not set it higher than 20 ° C in winter (blankets and warm clothes will keep you warm when the house is cool.) Set the thermostat to 13 degrees at night in rooms where no one sleeps.
If you live in a cold region, do not set the thermostat below 13 degrees in winter, otherwise the pipes may freeze at night
- Use less water. Take a short shower instead of a bath, and turn off the tap when not in use, such as when brushing your teeth. Even such little things count!
- Ride your bike. The bicycle is perhaps the most environmentally friendly form of transport ever invented (after walking). By cycling to and from school and any other place, you will be doing a great service to our planet.
Step 4. Start reusing many things
Ask your parents to buy 3-4 reusable shopping bags. They're inexpensive, but they can help reduce the number of paper or plastic bags you bring home from grocery stores. For your personal belongings, start using the reusable lunch box at school, unless you already do so. They also look cooler than paper bags. Ask for a reusable beverage bottle as well. A bottle made of metal or sturdy plastic will work great.
- Be sure to rinse and wash reusable shopping bags and shopping bags about once a week to keep them from getting dirty and greasy. Quickly scrub them in the sink with a rag or sponge and leave them in the dish drainer for a couple of hours.
- Use unwanted plastic bags as trash bags in the bathroom or in your room. They fit perfectly into small waste baskets, so there is no need to buy special plastic waste bags.
- When choosing plastic water bottles, make sure they are BPA (bisphenol A) free. Then it can be used many times. BPA plastic bottles are not safe to use for long periods of time.
Method 2 of 3: In the garden
Step 1. Plant trees
Talk to your parents about the benefits of planting trees. Deciduous trees planted next to windows provide cool shade in summer when their leaves are green; in winter, their leaves fall off, letting in more light through the windows. In any case, this will help reduce energy costs. And any kind of wood perfectly removes pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide and converting it into fresh oxygen that we breathe.
- Talk to a professional with your parents to find trees that will grow to a certain height in your climate zone without causing problems in the garden. There are suitable trees for almost any desired height and climate.
- Be sure to get instructions on how to care for the tree and water it regularly after planting. Take care of the seedling, and by the time you grow up, you will have a beautiful sturdy tree that has grown with you.
Step 2. Mow your lawn less often
Some adults are very image-conscious and won't let kids do it on the front lawn, but most of them shouldn't mind the backyard. Find out how often your lawn is trimmed during the warmer months, and start doing it about a week less often. Gasoline lawn mowers are highly polluted, so the less you mow, the less smog will get into the air. It will also help save on gas costs.
- Offer to mow your lawn in exchange for permission to do it less often. In any case, this is a useful skill: when you get a little older, you can make good money by mowing other people's lawns.
- If you have a power lawnmower in your home, you don't have to worry about mowing your lawn less often, as they do not produce pollution. Of course, they are much more difficult to work with than gasoline lawn mowers!
Step 3. Water your lawn less
This can help to significantly reduce the overall pressure that the city or town in which you live puts on the environment, especially in summer. Some cities even require homeowners not to water their lawns during the summer months for this very reason. Of course, the downside to this approach is that the lawn can turn brown and dry by the end of the summer. On the other hand, you have a great explanation for this.
In winter, most lawns do not need watering at all. If you live in a warm climate and your family watering the lawn all year round, at least ask them to stop doing so during the winter
Step 4. Use environmentally friendly chemicals
There are many fertilizers, herbicides (weed control agents) and pesticides (pest control agents) on the market that help keep the garden beautiful; however, with regular use over a long period of time, some are hazardous to the environment. Try to find out what chemicals your loved ones are using, then search the Internet for green alternatives that are less damaging to the environment. Show them to your parents and ask them to switch to them.
Step 5. Run your lawn a little
Herbicides are often used on the lawn to get rid of unsightly weeds. Which would you prefer: a lawn with a couple of dandelions or a lawn covered with chemicals? Point this out to your parents and ask them to choose weeding, even if the lawn ends up looking a little less immaculate.
Step 6. Shoot out weeds instead of spraying chemicals
Some people use herbicides to get rid of weeds in their garden or flower bed. Since the ground is softer there, there is no need for chemicals. Take garden gloves, a hoe, and a garden shovel and weed by hand. Do this every weekend. This is a good opportunity to spend time outdoors with your family and is much cleaner and safer than herbicides.
Step 7. Populate your garden with beneficial insects
Along with insect pests (such as aphids), there are other insects that feast on pests. In some gardening stores, you can order these insects, such as lacewings (which love to eat aphids and also look beautiful). Rely on natural remedies to reduce the use of pesticides.
Leave beneficial insects where you find them. In many cases, guard insects are already in the garden. For example, garden spiders eat all kinds of pests, and at the same time they are absolutely safe for plants. When you find such insects, do not get rid of them - let them help you
Method 3 of 3: Family and School Projects
Step 1. Put things in order in the nearest park
Gather a group of friends or pick a day when your whole family can go to a nearby park in the morning. Bring some large trash bags and garden gloves. Start at the parking lot and walk along each path in the park, picking up all the trash you find. In a couple of hours the park will be spotlessly clean!
- If you see rubbish not on the path, do not hesitate - go and collect it. If it's hard to reach, find a branch and pull it up.
- It may not sound like exciting, but it's actually a wonderful experience. You may even like it so much that you want to do it on a regular basis and clean the park again once or twice a year.
Step 2. Join a larger cleaning operation
If you ask the teachers and watch the local news, you may well know that there are other groups of people who are conducting cleaning operations similar to the park cleaning project. In most cases, these people are happy when children and families join them. This way you can take part in cleaning the beach, campground or mountain trail. It is very inspiring to be part of a larger movement.
Step 3. Join other groups of volunteers
Whether you love planting trees, clearing trails, or simply spreading the word about environmental change in your hometown, there may well be a local group that shares your interests. Reach out to them and ask how you can help. If there is no such group, why not talk to your parents or the school about creating one yourself? After all, it's impossible to be too young to change the world for the better.
- If your friends share your interests, ask them to sign a statement to the principal. If the director knows that there are many people interested in the project, the likelihood that he will consider your proposal increases.
- One program that many schools may use but few schools actually do is the composting program. Compost helps reduce waste. Composting separates food waste and garden waste, which then decomposes and turns into soil. With enough interest, your school's composting program can be a huge success, so start spreading the word and gaining support among your classmates and their parents.
- Yes, balloons are usually made of biodegradable material, but at various events it is better to inflate them rather than using helium-filled balloons. Inflating balloons is not only fun, but much more environmentally friendly than using helium.
Advice
- This guide is just a starting point. Ask around and search the internet for what you can do to help us all live in a safer, healthier world.
- Remember to reward yourself for all the hard work you do. Enjoy what you help protect: go outside, play, or explore nature whenever possible. If you treat nature with respect and care, you can enjoy it to the fullest.
- Consider becoming a vegan or vegetarian. That being said, remember: everyone, including your parents, should not give up on meat of animal origin.