You are the president of the Environmental Protection Society at your school. You are preparing a speech to instruct club members on how to become more environmentally friendly at school and at home.
Good morning everyone, I am Katie Chan, the President of the Environmental Protection Society. I’m here to instruct you on how to become environmentally friendly. Have you ever heard of climate change or experienced its impact? Do you want to help in the fight to save our planet? Listen carefully and follow the following recommended methods!
At first sight, I understand that being entirely environmentally friendly can seem impossible for us. However, changing minor habits in our daily lives can help us to save the Earth. To begin with, turning off electrical devices like fans, air conditioners and lights when we leave a room can decrease the amount of electricity wasted. In addition, using less paper and recycling more is another effective way to help our environment. According to the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, recycling one ton of paper can save 17 mature trees. If we start making minor changes like recycling the paper we use at school and at home, municipal solid waste will be reduced. Let’s start working together!
Another thing we can do is deal with wastage and climate change at home. One significant way is changing our traditional tungsten bulbs to LED bulbs. Although LED lights are more expensive than tungsten ones, LEDs have a longer life than the counterparts, and, less energy is consumed. LEDs also generate less heat during use and hence associated cooling costs are comparatively lower, which can help us save money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for a fifth of the energy consumption in a U.S household. LED lights can bring lighting costs to 5 percent of the total electricity consumption in homes. LED lights also create less greenhouse gas than the normal lights, so they are more environmentally friendly at the same time. So, why don’t we change our light to LEDs?
Furthermore, reducing food waste can definitely be friendly to our environment.? In these modern times, most of us can get food easily, but we often neglect the problem of food waste. We have a bad habit of wasting food which creates greenhouse gasses and pollution. However, it does not have to be like this. Take the UK as an example, between 2007 and 2012, the total amount of household food waste in the UK decreased by 15%. Avoidable food waste also dropped by 21%. Within this 5-year period (2007-2012), 3.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases were avoided per year in the UK. To put that into perspective, it is comparable with taking 1.4 million cars off the road for an entire year. So, doesn’t this seem a win-win situation to you?
I honestly believe that following the above mentioned methods will be beneficial to our home, earth. By spreading the word to our family and friends, it is not too late to make a positive change. Thank you.
6A(2) Katie Chan