What Can We Do About Environmental Pollution?
Dangerous Effects of Environmental Pollution
Environmental pollution is a global problem that has started many decades ago. At first, the effects did not seem too significant, which is why many people simply ignored it and went on with their lives as usual.
But in recent years, the dangerous effects of environmental pollution are becoming more apparent. More and more elements of the environment are being threatened, including human beings. In fact, many species of plants and animals have already been rendered extinct due to the effects of environmental pollution.
Different Types of Pollution
We can gain a better understanding of environmental pollution and the seriousness of its negative repercussions by taking a look at each of the different types.
- Air Pollution. This happens when tiny pollutant particles escape into the atmosphere. The primary causes of air pollution are vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, acid rain and illegal burning.
- Water Pollution. The main sources of water pollution are oil spills, toxic wastes, garbage and cleaning chemicals.
- Land Pollution. Huge amounts of precious minerals in our land are lost due to practices that also cause pollution. Some of the most devastating of these practices are excessive building, strip mining and overfilling of landfills.
- Noise Pollution. Even sound can cause pollution in our environment. Too much noise in the form of loud music, construction activities and crowded streets can make us overly stressed.
What Can We Do?
Many people don’t realize it but the tiny things that we all do each and every day greatly affects the level of pollution in our environment. For example, you may think that throwing that piece of candy wrapper onto the street is harmless, but if millions of people follow that same line of thinking, we would be drowning in empty candy wrappers before we know it. That is definitely a very frightening idea. But the good news is that we can actually solve the environmental pollution problem using equally small steps. We all just need to be disciplined and motivated at all times. Here are some of the seemingly irrelevant things that you can do that will in fact make a huge difference.
- Clean the air. You can stop contributing to air pollution by making sure that your heater or air conditioner is working properly. If possible, eliminate the use of hair sprays, insecticides and other such chemicals in your home.
- Save water. The planet may be composed mostly of water but this is not a reason for us to use this resource so liberally. The truth is that water levels have been gradually decreasing due to improper use. You can do your part in saving water by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth and taking shorter baths as much as possible.
- Preserve the soil. Having a compost bin in the backyard is a great way to protect the soil from harmful chemicals. Not only that, this practice will also make your soil richer, making it more conducive for growing trees and vegetables.
Environmental pollution may have worsened considerably in the last few years but the situation is far from hopeless. If we start doing something right now, we can still turn the situation around and preserve whatever is left of the Earth’s natural resources.
Solving the Pollution Problem – What You Can Do
The problem of pollution has been plaguing the world for many years and in order to solve this problem, there needs to be a global effort. But before that can happen, each individual will have to play their part even in very small and very simple ways. And even if you don’t litter or if you already use an environment-friendly vehicle, there is still always something more you can do to help stop pollution and eventually save the environment.
Different Types of Pollution
Many people don’t even realize it but there are actually several different types of pollution, and not all of them are visible. Here are the basic types that we should know about:
1. Litter – This includes candy wrappers thrown carelessly onto the streets, or cigarette butts flicked out of the car window as you drive along the highway. Such practices may seem insignificant but if millions of people do it, you can just imagine the amount of litter that it can produce.
2. Water Pollution – Oil spills in the seas and oceans are probably the most obvious type of pollution in water but they are not the ones that cause the most damage. Smaller-scale problems like damaged septic tanks or the use of toxic chemicals are even more detrimental to our oceans.
3. Air Pollution – Chemicals released by factories is a top air pollutant. But many ordinary individuals are guilty as well, since air pollution is also caused by vehicle emissions, cigarette smoke, and the use of cleaning agents at home that contain toxic particles.
4. Light Pollution – Not many people realize it but too much exposure to light can actually cause the melatonin in our bodies to break down, leading to the wastage of a considerable amount of energy.
Steps We Can Take
The level of pollution in some parts of the world may seem like a hopeless case and it may already be impossible to restore the planet to its originally pristine state. But the good news is that we can still do something to prevent further pollution, such as the following simple steps:
1. Reduce, reuse, recycle. We’ve all heard this mantra before but if we really start applying it to our lives, we can really make a huge difference.
2. Use environmental friendly substances. Get rid of cleansers, shampoos, hair dyes, or whatnot, that contain harmful substances and switch to natural alternatives.
3. Be part of the pollution solution. You may not be feeling the effects of pollution yet but this does not excuse you from doing your part. If we all work together, we can successfully clean up the environment and have a better world to live in.
Making Chemical-Free Purchasing Choices for Optimal Health
When you come to examine it, synthetic chemicals are around us all the time. However, making chemical-free purchases can help alleviate allergies and keep the environment from being polluted with these powerful substances.
In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that would suggest that the synergistic effects of some of the chemicals that people ingest, absorb and inhale can have catastrophic cumulative effects. Many of these chemicals are known to accumulate in our tissues unless cleansed out.
One choice that many people have decided to make is to go with pesticide free organic produce. The organic label also covers all manner of processed food, guaranteeing it will be free of the most common chemical contaminants.
Co-ops are a particularly good place to find organic alternatives to all manner of personal hygiene products as well as all types of organic foodstuffs. While some co-ops decide not to carry meat, many do, as long as it is also certified organic. Nearly all could be considered a chemical free zone.
Another common source of environmental pollutants that people accumulate comes from the furniture, bedding and carpets in our homes. These items cost a lot more than a bottle of shampoo and are generally replaced far less often. However, when it does come time to make a decision about a floor of your own or replacing a worn out blanket, consider the chemical-free options.
The cost of many of these items leads DIY-inclined people to want to make or grow their own versions of just about every product in the home. There is a growing trend, especially among younger women, to make cleaning and bath products at home.
This way, if you choose organic base ingredients, you can produce your own equivalent products, provided you find good recipes or have a talent for such things. You’ll certainly know everything that’s in your products. Another example might be purchasing organic cotton and making your own sheets or curtains.
Just about anything that can be made somewhere else can be made in your home. However, there are very few things that are impossible to create without specialized machinery (puffed rice seems to be one of them). Noodles are perhaps the most common processed food that nearly everyone purchases in one form or another. The extra cost of purchasing such foods organically can be covered and more by growing one’s own organic produce.
For those who have talents that lie outside DIY projects, there are handy people in many large cities who will cater to your desires to keep an organic garden or preparing nutritious, organic meals that are always available for you, ready to go from the fridge. This keeps clients from eating the sort of food that is otherwise prepared with all manner of potentially toxic chemicals.
Very often, the chemicals that are found in food and beauty products don’t even have anything to do with the product’s primary intention. For instance, foods are made moister, chewier, foamer, less foamy, richer, fat-free – you name it, from the color to the consistency, the vast majority of man-made chemical ingredients added to conventionally processed foods are added for effect only. Choosing chemical-free products at the grocery store and farmers’ market can decrease your daily exposure significantly.
Your pets can also benefit from a chemical free diet, as was evidenced by the great pet food recall of 2007. Those who purchased or made their own chemical-free pet food were the only pet owners who didn’t have to worry about differentiating between fast-acting symptoms and something as simple as a stomach ache.
There are also chemical-free alternatives to some of the common pet medications. One example might be safely using wormwood and pennyroyal oils as a substitute for prescription-only, sub-dermal flea control.
There are also things you can use around the house. Many people choose to use chemical-free cleaning products. Besides plain, old soapy water, you can use several common household items to make your own cleaning chemicals if there isn’t an outlet for organic cleaning solutions in your area. Some products, such as natural scouring cleansers, have been chemical-free for over a century.
When you begin carefully assessing where you are most likely to run into chemical fragrances, fumes, dyes and additives; it’s becomes simple to see where you would be best served by making some changes. Chemical-free alternatives for most items and products are available – sometimes from emerging sources that use the Internet to go around the traditional retail model.
Chemical free living is taking hold in North America because people are just now realizing how dangerous business as usual can be. Some of these toxins will persist longer than nuclear waste. Given how even the prescription drugs people take are ending up in drinking water supplies, it is clear that personal and public health are linked. Making a stand for yourself, now, can preserve your own health as well as that of everyone else.
Pollution in the Bedroom
Most people spend at least a third of their lives in bed. In fact, given that your face is planted right in a pillow or mattress much of the time, the potential for being, quite literally, gassed in your sleep is quite high.
Many of the materials that make up modern pillows, mattresses and bedclothes have been shown to release fumes that are either themselves or in combination with other bedroom chemicals, harmful to human health.
Over the span of a lifetime, this can add up in ways that are just now being explored.
Flame retardants, federally mandated in new mattresses, are known to bio-accumulate in human beings. They are so widespread that in recent tests researchers couldn’t find a single lactating mother who didn’t have this chemical in her breast milk.
The coverings and petrochemical fillings are also well known to off-gas for months and even years, with potentially carcinogenic consequences.
What is Smog and Where Does it Come From?
Nearly every large city on Earth suffers from some degree of smog. This word itself is a combination of “smoke” and “fog,” though the actual substance that hangs in the atmosphere like a dirty brown blanket is usually far more complicated.
During the initial century of the industrial revolution, smog was almost always caused by the emissions from coal-fired plants. However, since the 1950s, smog is more commonly found as “petrochemical smog,” most often containing a mixture of nitrogen oxides and a whole collection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are both emitted by the burning of fossil fuels, chiefly automobiles.
If these chemicals remained as they were, they’d be problematic enough. However, once released into the atmosphere, they react with sunlight to form many noxious compounds including carbon monoxide, particulate matter, ground-level (or tropospheric) ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. All of these substances are known to cause respiratory disorder and premature death.
