Going Green Term Paper

Green

Why "Going Green" is the Right Way to Go

Even if you don't believe the world is ending like it did in disaster movies The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, there are still plenty of good reasons to "go green." Did you know that until the 1970s most trash was dumped straight into holes in the ground, where overtime it released hazardous chemicals and methane gas, "20 times more potent than carbon dioxide" straight into the atmosphere (Palmer)? Today laws are in place to ensure that methane is collected at these landfills, but collecting it requires expensive plumbing -- which means that big cities like New York now have to ship their garbage to large dumping facilities prepared to handle the waste. New York spends a $1 billion annually in trash and recycling collecting (Iannucci). So what can you do about it? Going green can help you to do a lot, actually. To "go green" means to lead a life that is good for you and for your environment. This paper will show you three ways that "going green" can improve life -- by cutting waste removal costs, reducing pollution, and providing you with a more natural, healthy lifestyle.

First, going green can cut down on costs related to waste. Mayor Bloomberg, for instance, is implementing a waste removal system that is a water-based rail system. This will cut down both on cost and land-fuel emissions. Alternative fuels are helping to reduce the toxins emitted by diesel fuel trucks and recycling facilities are being constructed in order to cut down on the amount of waste being sent to landfills.In the long-run, greener garbage trucks means a greener environment, and more recycling means fewer hazardous emissions into the atmosphere. Bloomberg believes "that cutting the emissions and cost will save on the financial and economic health and well-being of the residents and the community" (Iannucci). Learning how to better use energy, such as electricity with things like compact fluorescent light bulbs, can also cut energy costs and save on monthly household expenditure. How much money is wasted annually by leaving lights on or by not investing in clean, renewable energy? It is a question that more people might ask if they are really interested in saving money.

Second, going green can help to eliminate harmful or hazardous pollutants. E-waste is one of the biggest sources of pollution in the world. E-waste landfills are filled with old electronics technology such as cell phones, computers, laptops, televisions, copiers, etc. These are materials that do not break down decay. Electronic waste has recently been illegally shipped. As Greenpeace reports, "E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries to developing ones, often in violation of the international law…In the UK alone, at least 23,000 metric tons of undeclared or 'grey' market electronic waste was illegally shipped in 2003 to the Far East, India, Africa and China" ("Where Does E-waste End Up?"). Up to 80% of E-waste in the U.S. is exported….....