“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
Going green is all the rage, but not everyone is taking the plunge. Why not? For starters, you may think that it takes a lot of effort or a lot of money to go green. This just isn’t the case. Here are ten very easy ways that you can help save the planet.
1. Drink water from the tap.
Fill up your body, not the landfill. Seventy-two million plastic water bottles are tossed daily and fewer than one-third are recycled. Plus, 25 percent of bottled water is simply filtered municipal water.
2. Reduce food miles.
Do this by buying locally produced food. Supermarket produce travels as far as 2,500 miles, so it’s less fresh and requires more fuel to transport. Visit your local Farmer’s Market, it’s a fun morning out!
3. Buy Fair-Trade coffee.
Or any other java brewed from beans certified as grown on sustainable farms. These farms work to protect the world’s pharmacy, the Brazilian rainforest, for medicinal plants awaiting discovery.
4. Use Google Maps.
Know where you’re going and you’ll save on fuel and frustration. While you’re at it, avoid left turns. Idling in traffic produces twenty times more pollution than if you hooked a few rights.
5. Drink beer from bottles.
It takes about twice as much energy to make an aluminum can as it does to produce a glass bottle of equal size. And no matter what kinds of cans they develop, bottled beer always tastes better.
6. Exercise in the A.M.
You’ll eliminate the extra shower after a midday or evening workout, saving water and time. Plus, air-pollution levels are lowest in the early morning, so you’ll fill your lungs with oxygen, not ozone.
7. Use a shampoo-conditioner combo.
If 10 percent of us skipped the separate conditioner, the plastic saved would cover twenty-one football fields. The shorter shower also helps your skin retain more moisture.
8. Dispose of disposable razors.
Ninety-nine cents buys you a scraped face and a hunk of metal and plastic that can’t be recycled and isn’t biodegradable. Better: Refillable razors. Best: Safety razors — you get a great shave and recyclable blades.
9. Be water-wise.
Always check that you have turned taps off properly: a dripping tap loses about two drops a second, which is around 25 gallons a week. Fit water-saving devices to toilet cisterns and water-saving taps. And if you have a dishwasher, use it sparingly: half-loaded machines use more than half the water of a full load.
10. Bike it.
Fifty percent of the planets air pollution comes from cars. Most journeys are still less than 2 miles. There is no more important issue that we have to face together. It’s amazing that we have yet to understand the severity of the oil world and pollution situation. Give it up. Get a bike.
You never need to feel helpless. There is always something you can do. There are so many other people ready, doing, activating, speaking, writing, imagining, organizing, praying and working towards a green and healthy future.
译文:
10件小事 拯救大自然母亲
“要想改变世界,就先改变自己。”
--圣雄甘地
环保这个词正在风行一时，但是，并不是每个人都在尝试着环保。那些刚刚开始这样做的人们会认为，环保要花费很大的精力和财力。事实并不如此。这里有10个你能帮助拯救地球的非常简单的方法。
1 喝自来水
为你的身体补充水分，但不能同时把地球填满垃圾。每天有7千2百万的塑料水瓶被丢弃，然而只有少于三分之一的瓶子被回收。另外，25%的瓶装水只是过滤过的自来水。
2 减少食物运输里程
要做到这一点，买当地出产的食品就可以了。超市里的产品被运输了2500英里，所以它们并不那么新鲜，而且要运输它们需要更多的燃料。去你那里当地农民聚集的市场里买东西吧，那会是个有趣的清晨哦！
3 购买互惠贸易的咖啡
或者购买被保证是产于可持续发展农场的咖啡豆煮的爪哇咖啡。这些农场保护着世界制药业，因为在巴西的热带雨林中，有许多医用植物正在等待被发现。
4 运用谷歌地图
明确你要去哪里能够让你节省汽油，并减少你的沮丧。当你开车在路上的时候，避免左转。在街上让引擎空转所产出的污染是你右转弯几次产出的污染的20倍。
5 喝瓶装啤酒
制造一只铝罐头所需要消耗的能量是制造一个玻璃瓶所需要消耗的能量的两倍。而且，无论它们发展成为什么样的铝罐头，瓶装啤酒总比铝罐头装的更好喝。
6 在上午锻炼身体
这样你就会减少在中午或者晚上锻炼之后的多余的一次洗澡，能够节省水和时间。另外，清晨，空气污染程度是最低的，所以，你能够让你的肺部得到充分的氧气，而不是臭氧。
7 用二合一洗发水护发素
如果我们之中有十分之一的人不用分开使用的护发素，那么节省下来的塑料能够覆盖21个足球场。短时间的淋浴还能够帮助你的肌肤保持更多的水分。
8 不用一次性剃刀
你能够用99美分买到一张有刮痕的脸和一大块不能回收也不能分解的金属和塑料。好一点的办法是：购买能够更换刀片的剃刀。最好的办法是：购买保险剃刀，这样你就能非常舒适地把胡子刮得很干净，并且得到可回收的刀片。
9 谨慎用水
你得经常检查自己是不是把水龙头关好了：一个滴水的龙头每秒钟大约滴2滴水，这样持续一周的话就有约25加仑的水。你可以在马桶的水池里装节水装置或者装个节水龙头。如果你有洗碗机，谨慎地用它：装了一半的东西的洗碗机比装满东西的洗碗机要多用一半的水。
10 骑自行车
地球上50%的大气污染来自汽车。其实大多数的旅途都短于2英里。我们应该一起面对这一最为重要的问题。令人吃惊的是，我们还没有认识到充满汽油的世界以及环境污染的严重性。放弃汽车，骑上自行车吧。
你不必感到无助。因为总有一些你可以做的事情。有许多人，为了有一个绿色健康的未来，正在做一些事情、推动一些事情，讲、写、想象一些东西，正在组织一些活动，祈祷并且努力工作着。
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谢谢！