“We’re all in this together–we share one planet, we share one atmosphere, we share one climate system.”
-Professor Sir Brian Hoskins of the Grantham Institute
It’s important to remember the impact our decisions have when looking at the dangerous current state of climate change. Here are a few ways to help the Earth that even the busiest of college students can manage!
1. Give up plastic bottles
“Making bottles to meet America’s demand for bottled water uses more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year1. And that’s not even including the oil used for transportation. The energy we waste using bottled water would be enough to power 190,000 homes. Last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38.Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year.”
2. Turn off the AC and drive less frequently
Of all fossil fuels, coal puts out the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy, so burning it poses a further threat to global climate, already warming alarmingly.The U.S. burns more than a billion tons of coal a year. The carbon dioxide emitted from this is the real issue around global warming. However, you can help by turning off the air conditioning more frequently this summer, and walking short distances instead of driving. Air conditioner use in the U.S. results in an average of about 100 million tons of CO2 emissions from power plants every year. In your car, burning one gallon of gas creates 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, and the average car emits about six tons of carbon dioxide every year.
3. Cut down on paper use
Americans use more than 67 million tons of paper per year, or about 580 pounds per person. Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. Paper products make up the largest part (approximately 40 percent) of our trash, so cutting down even a little bit per person can do a lot of good.
4. Take shorter showers
Water flows at a rate of about 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) from modern shower heads, though low-flow shower heads can provide refreshing showers at just 1.5 GPM . If your shower heads were manufactured before 1992, their flow might be as high as 5.5 GPM. This means that cutting a minute from your daily shower can save between 547 and 2007 gallons of water per year. Although we all love our long, hot showers, there is not an endless supply of water, and cutting down shower time is good for the environment, cost effective, and saves you time in your busy schedule.
So next time for the disposble bottle, have the urge to take a 30min shower, or reach to crank up the AC, remember the effects of your actions. And remember to love the planet and all it provides for us this Earth Day!