In the turn of the 21 century, the world has had many problems to deal with. Among the many problems is the environmental issue which has increased due to numerous factors; as the world witnessed the turn of the 21st century, a lot of transformation and developments have also been on the rise with new technology also being a major source progression of all times.
Because of the advanced technological changes, the planet has undergone major transformation both positive and negative. Such transformations have also impacted our surrounding and have even affected our way of life.
As such, this research paper will base its argument in discussing the numerous environmental concerns and the strategy of going green as a preventive measure to addressing the environmental issues as we seek to enquire whether the existing measure are doing enough to attain a sustainable solution to environmental issues; the paper will also make the appropriate recommendations on how the planet at large can be able to solve the current environmental issues.
As new technology is being developed more environmental issues are also on the increase with each coming day. Technological advancement such as the emergence of cell phones, motor car vehicles, bombs, new forms of energy among others has resulted to increase of environmental hazards such as air pollution, water pollution, increased waste products such as plastics bags, chemical pollution and so forth.
On the other hand, we can not entirely blame the technological changes for the numerous environmental issues but the humanity is also to blame for the increase of environmental problems. The increase of human activities such as mining, deforestation, overgrazing, construction, poor planning among other activities have also led to emergence of bigger environmental problems- bigger than the what humanity can eliminate at ease.
Due to the increase and heavy effects of environmental issues many strategies have been developed by various agencies such as United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA), World Health Organization (WHO), the environmentalist, human rights activists, and various government departments have been committed in order to ensure that the planet overcomes environmental issues for a better and safe living.
Discussion
In an attempt to make the planet become a safe and better place free of environmental hazards, there has been world-wide campaign dumped “going green”. Going green can be defined as the concept that describes the various procedures transforming one’s lifestyle for the better, safety and for benefit of the environment.
Communities, organizations, people and agencies who go green are not only making the environment safe but they are also making better decisions about their daily lives whilst at the same time considering how such decisions are impacting the environment and how they facilitate the fight against global warming, water pollution, air pollution, destruction of the natural environment among other environmental concerns (Sleeth, 2009).
According to Taylor (2008) the going green has become a social movement and it has spread across the planet as it seeks to influence the society and the various environmental agencies in educating the general public to protect and conserve the natural resources for the survival of all organisms.
Mainly those people who carry out the campaign of going green are usually referred as environmentalist; the environmentalists are people and organized groups whose works is to speak out about our natural surroundings and elaborating the numerous techniques of ensuring sustainable management of the natural resources through implementing policies that will ultimately ensure change of behavior, making of informed decisions, and adopting new ways such renewable energy (Sleeth, 2009).
Generally the environmentalist seeks to address the environmental issues by making the people to have a positive perception of the natural world while taking care of it for sustainability.
Objectives of going green
The concept of “going green” has its main objective of addressing the most pressing environmental issues and concerns. Mainly, there are three issues people and agencies of going green usually target to address at all times which include; sustainable living, use of environmental friendly products and the reusing and recycling of waste products as much as possible (Price water coopers, 2008).
Sustainable living involves the use of natural resources at the minimal possible way while using them in an effectiveness way which can only be achieved through conserving energy, eating a reasonable diet, reducing consuming imported items and use of better transportation system. Additionally, the going green advocates for use of environmental friendly products also known as green products such as recycled paper products, natural food, less toxic products especially person care product such as cosmetics and so on.
The use of green products is essential in reducing damage and harm of our earth, air, the water we use, plants, and other living organisms. On the other hand, the campaign to recycle products mainly targets products such as plastics bags, metals, glasses, left over foods among others. The notion to recycle products facilitates in reducing poor waste disposal and most importantly, it also helps in conserving energy.
Going green step by step
In today’s world, there is a greater need to embrace changes that would facilitate environmental conservation. In fact, there is a growing group of environmentalism urging industrial companies to go green everywhere across the world and there are doing this through also campaigning to consumers, government departments and business sectors.
According to price water coopers (2008), although some of the industries do not really feel that their activities are contributing to environmental hazards, most of the companies have taken in the idea that there is need to minimize their environmental effects. Such companies are embracing the idea of green-oriented products since this holds the chances of reducing greater environmental hazards.
Going green generally requires step by step changes in the production process. It involves production of green products all through the production, products supply, up to the marketing stage and finally to the consumers who must also go green; to indicate the level of commitment to going green, a number of companies in the world are also branding their product green (Price water coopers, 2008).
The going green strategies are meant to help the humanity and other living organism live harmoniously here on earth, save money, and create an environment that is sustainable for living while trying to meet all human needs (Chernova and Krieger, 2009).
Therefore there are a number of steps we as human beings can take in order to ensure that we stop climate changes and make our lives better which will also ensure that the future generation will live sustainably. In the following section we shall outline the several strategies of going green; the paper shall also discuss each strategy extensively so that at the end we can be able to make an assessment of the strategies in terms of whether these strategies are being effective in solving environmental issues in today’s world.
The first procedure emphasizes on saving energy as an approach to save money consumption. This strategy urges the humanity that, we should at all times reduce the amount of energy consumption we use every day which will also help in saving money used for consumption.
For instance, a consumer should always unplug appliances such as electronic gadgets when he/she is not using them and this will help save power energy, wash clothes in cold water and reduce heating water when not necessary which will also save power, and try as much as possible to use power saving bulbs such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (Chernova and Krieger, 2009).
Secondly, it is also necessary to save water consumption at our homes. Reduced use of water at homes and industries will also help save money and ensure constant water supply.
If possible, it is necessary to take shorter showers so as to use less water, use low-flow showerhead which will help reduce water consumption, and plant drought resistance crops in our gardens to reduce water intake (Chernova and Krieger, 2009). Such measures will help very much to reduce the level of water intake at the domestic level and will also help save money.
Thirdly, it is important to reduce the level of using gas in all areas. Factories, Cars, motorbikes and other machineries use a lot of gas which in turns has contributed to environmental problems in the planet today.
To help reduce on gas use, one can use bicycle or walk to work and try to utilize the telecommunication system or move closer to place of work at whatever cost because it may be more beneficial in the long run; it will reduce toxic emissions, save gas and also solve issues of traffic congestion which will also save cost and time (Taylor, 2008). Such steps will help in reducing the level of gas being used and this will consequently help in promoting good and healthy living.
Additionally, it also important to reduce using whatever that may contribute to increased waste products; Taylor (2008) argues that, it is necessary to avoid bottled water. One method to help reduce bottled water is by making sure we purify our tap water at home instead of buying bottled water from the supermarkets and other retailers.
Again, we should also try to carry reusable water bottles such as those made of aluminum since we can always have them for a long time; moreover, we should also try to always bring reusable bags whenever going for shopping; it will help save resources and cut down use of plastic bags. By adhering to these simple steps, we are able to reduce the quantity of waste products while also saving money.
Another strategy to facilitate minimal waste products is by trying to avoid disposing electronics products such as cell phones, computers, and broken monitors among other electronics (Price water coopers, 2008). To avoid this, one can recycle or donate such gadgets to friends in order to ensure responsible use.
By so doing, we are able to reduce the level of electronic waste which contains mercury and other deadly components that are harmful to human health since it has been the most growing environmental problem today. To help in reducing this growing problem the government should try setting up recycling centers to reduce the hazardous waste.
Furthermore, individuals should try to improve their indoor air quality since it has been observed that indoor air has more environmental health risk as compared to the outdoor air (Chernova and Krieger, 2009).
This situation is very dangerous especially for those people who live in high ozone regions since they are more prone to environmental hazards. The opinion is that, individuals should always try to clean the indoor air which will also help in killing germs and other disease causing organism which will in turn facilitate to providing a cleaner environment and healthy living.
Another step of going green is advocating for organic products. It is recommended that, we should always purchase organic products since they will promote healthy eating; farmers should embrace the option of growing organic products especially vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, spinaches, kales, and cabbages since they are usually used as food at most times (Taylor, 2008).
Taylor emphasizes that, the first step is through using non-toxics inputs at the firm especially fertilizers and pesticides which will in turn ensure we acquire organic products.
Finally, another very important strategy of going green is through encouraging planting trees and avoiding deforestation. The opinion is that, for every tree cut down, we should always plant two as a replacement; this will ensure that, desertification is minimized and the future generation is protected in one way or the other.
In fact, by planting trees, we are able to enjoy fresh air which is essential for good health, protection of natural habitat for the wild animals is guaranteed and we are also able to make certain that the water catchment areas are being well preserved.
Conclusion
How effective is the going green policy?
As already discussed, the going green is an essential instrument to fighting environmental crisis in this era of technological advancement. For the reason that, the world is facing a growing wave of environmental issues such as emission of toxic gases, destruction of natural resources such as forest and other forms of energy, increased waste disposal, deforestation, and misuse of energy among other pressing issues; all this problems have also contributed to new outbreak of global crisis such as poor lifestyle, poor health among the humanity, death of organism and animals, outbreak of diseases, desertification, global warming, and famine among other issues (Chernova and Krieger, 2009) .
With the presence of going green strategies, the population has had a renewed optimism since the solution to such emerging environmental issues is almost being achieved.
In deed, the going green policies have helped in a broad way to reduction of the heavy burden of environmental hazards through tumbling the high level of waste products, saving energy, reducing toxic gases, conserving water catchment areas, and making certain that the population is enjoying healthy organic products.
As such, we can bring the discussion to a close that, the push to going green is doing enough to solve environmental problems; it is an important choice that is currently enhancing attainment of better and safe environment for a positive society.
Reference
Chernova, Y & Krieger, S. (2009). How to Go Green in Hard Times. The wall street journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/
Price water coopers. (2008). Going green: Sustainable growth. Web.
Sleeth, N. (2009).Go Green, Save Green:A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God’s Green Earth. New York: Tyndale House Publishers.
Taylor, N. H. (2008). Go Green: how to build an earth-friendly community. Layton: Gibbs Smith.