Lesson 5: A friend of the Earth

LET’S SAVE OUR PLANET!
Everyone must play a part in protecting the environment. There are many things you
can do on your own every day to help save the planet. Here are some suggestions.
REDUCE!
Really, the best thing we can do for the planet is to use less of it. Our consumer
society is mainly responsible for the environmental crisis. Here are some questions
you can ask yourself before buying something, “Do I really need this?” or “Is there
another product which would do the same thing but more sustainable?” Or ask the
question, “Will this last a long time?” Some other questions may be, “Do I know how
this item was made, how it will be used and how it will be disposed of?”
REUSE!
What do you think of using your own ceramic cup or mug at your school or local
club? It means there are no plastic cups to throw away. You can wash it and reuse it
every day. Unfortunately, we are encouraged to buy a new “improved” item even if
the one we have can be repaired or reused. When we buy things, we should buy items
which are durable; we should use them properly, and have them repaired when
necessary. If we practise this, many things can not only last a life-time, but also be
passed on to future. However, If something is truly unusable for its original purposes,
try to be more creative and think of how else it might be used. When you’re done
with it, think of whether someone else might be able to use it. You can donate some
of the things to the poor. You may also sell some of your used items through personal
ads in a local newspaper.
RECYCLE!
Rather than throwing an item out when neither you nor anyone else can make use of
it, have it recycled. And while recycling is not possible, it is better to send goods to a
landfill or have them burned up. Find out what types of materials can be recycled in
your area. Clean and sort the materials before putting them out in the bin. Recycling
your drink and food cans means there will be less trash in a resource recovery facility
or landfill. Moreover, a company can use the old cans to make new ones.