Flower Power

Flower Power!

Going green refers to the modification person or organization’s lifestyle to promote environmental health. Globalization has made the world seem smaller, and it’s a lot easier to see the impact of one man’s contributions. As the world’s infrastructure and science advances, we are also beginning to face the decline in health of our earth. However, the rest of the world is catching on and are taking measures to improve or at least slow the decrease in our world’s environment. The statistics are growing quickly and exponentially, but luckily, changes are being seen, especially in schools and businesses.

The leading problem is the emission of carbon gasses. This depletes the ozone layer causing abnormal amounts of sunlight and erratic weather conditions commonly defined as global warming, as well as the endangering and extinction of many animal species. The mass production of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not helped by the slash-and-burn method of clearing land for our growing population, or our excessive use of paper that’s increasing the lack of trees. This is the main problem trying to be stopped in the world’s attempt to going green.

Despite seemingly fruitless efforts and the still growing numbers, many more nations are arising to the cause. In 1999 the number of responding countries numbered only 49, but by 2006 it increased to 78 and is still growing now. Going green includes, but is certainly not limited to: recycling and reusing, saving energy and water and limiting use of gas in our transportation. We have seen a visible boost with our efforts. On average, 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled every minute of the day. The recycling rate of solid waste has increased to 32% by 2005 while in 1980 it had been less than 10%. Nearly half the paper being used is recycled. Unfortunately, the numbers are still high, and our consumption is increasing. Efforts will need to be redoubled to combat our needs, and a lot of money is being put to research...