The Waste Generation By Bill Brryson

we’re wasteful. In order to find solutions for our trash problem, we must first admit that we are

The U.S obtains more than 84% of its energy from fossil fuels including oil, coal and natural gas. This is because people rely on it to heat their homes, power industries, run vehicles, manufacturing, and provision of electricity. It is apparent that the country’s transportation industry highly depends on conventional petroleum oil, which is responsible for global warming, thus threatening economic opulence and national security. Apart from that, increasing consumption of fossil fuels have elevated health problems in the state, destroyed wild places, and polluted the environment. After conducting Environmental Impact Assessment, projections showed that the world energy consumption would increase by more than 56% between 2010 and 2040. However, fossil fuels will cater for more than 80% of the total energy used in 2040. Sadly, it will be a trajectory to alter the world’s climate, as well as, weaken the global security environment. Importantly, the rate at which the US relies on fossil fuels needs to reduce since it has adverse effects on the planet’s supplies. The society needs to realize that fossil fuels are nonrenewable, thus taking millions of years to form (Huebner, 2003). Notably, the country can reduce dependency on fossil fuels by practicing energy conservation and efficiency,

The average U.S. citizen emits about four pounds of municipal solid waste each day. While this number may seem insignificant, think about approximately four pounds multiplied by our current population of about 318.9 million, or the population of Earth, 7.125 billion. With this in mind, think about all of the other detrimental effects we are causing to our planet. Most humans are not concerned for our planet, nor do we care about other species inhabiting Earth, which may lead us to consider other ways of living, such as Nash’s idea of an island civilization.

“Waste” is a short essay in which Wendell Berry critically analyzes the growing epidemic of trash that is polluting the nation’s land, waterways, and the air. Berry explains to the readers how the remnants of floods and litter that leave farmlands scattered with trash, makes more work for the farmers who have to rid their land of the trash before they can use it. Along with the floods, roads and highways also lead to a barrage of garbage from people who are too lazy or ignorant to take proper care of their garbage, which Berry claims leads to “. . . a constant precipitation of cans, bottles, the plastic-ware containers of fast food joints, soiled plastic diapers, and sometimes whole bags of garbage,” (Waste 1) along the edges of their fields. The garbage of the country continues to be a burden for everyone, whether it impacts them directly or not. Although it would be impossible to eliminate garbage completely from the country, the waste could be greatly reduced. Most of today’s trash is a consequence of the laziness of American society.

Nuclear waste is a radioactive waste that is dangerous, and a fair percentage of people would agree on this topic. However, is it really dangerous or is it just harmful to an extent? In society, many debates are held over trying to prove to the world that this substance is harmful. In the essay, “Nuclear Waste,” Muller states clearly that he sides with the anti-nuke of the debate and how he pinpoints the facts of nuclear waste with great persuasion. Yet, it is uncertain whether Muller clearly has a good argument and/or answers the questions that many people linger to know.

The article “Waste Not” by Elizabeth Royte was published in March of 2016 in National Geographic Magazine. It depicts the wastefulness of the food industry and shows the path of food from field to consumers’ homes. During the article the story focuses on Tristram Stuart; a food utilizing activist and naturalist, who is gathering wasted food for a food conservation event for the public. Stuart visits many different farms and markets to receive food that is not desirable. Throughout the world nearly one third of food that is grown is thrown away or wasted due to consumer needs and wants. This means that because there is a need and want for good quality food products that not only meet food eatable standards but also

For centuries, Canada has been extracting and using all of the resources that we could at an increasingly shocking rate. Ever since the beginning, we have been seen as a resource-rich country, and with so much, it makes perfect sense that we are one of the most wasteful countries in the entire world. Our country extracts so much and much of that eventually ends up in landfills, in fact, Canada has one of the highest garbage rates and electricity consumption rates in the entire world.

The first is that humans needs and natures needs are two separate issues. The idea that they're not irrevocably intertwined is inane, because we want the environment to thrive so that we can continue to exploit it. The second misconception is our reliance on technological advances that may or may not happen to save the environment. This diamond implies is a foolish thing to do, as many monumental issues are all waiting to be fixed with technology that isn't coming, or that if it does ever come, it won't be an instantaneous thing. Third and finally, is the perception that those who fear for the environment are fear-mongers, doom-sayers, and rabble rousers. Their cries of warning falling on deaf ears because the effects of environmental damage has yet to reach the public. While the citizens of America may not feel the effects, there's a great many third world countries that do and are. Places where overpopulation and famine are rampant are prime spots for wars, terrorism, and emigration which then spreads the very same problems to other

The only green America has ever really cared about is cold hard cash. If we look at the history of the United States it was a country that started out with little more than rural land that people would seek to protect to ensure a happy life. After a century of independence there began an exposition where “machinery was the focus” (Divine, Breen and Fredrickson) setting off the United States into a feverous need for industrial development and economic growth. We added a railroad as the nations first big business and industrial empires were built on steel and oil and soon Henry Ford joined the picture with the mass production of cars in factories. What the world had begun creating was what they believed to the foundation of a more leisure filled

In 1986, a waste treaty between Canada and the U.S. was signed by American lawmakers concerning the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste.  Under the terms of this treaty, the EPA is to receive notification of these shipments, and then would have 30 days to consent or object to the shipment. Since 1986 Canada has shipped its garbage to Michigan to be dumped into landfills and the provisions of this treaty have never been enforced.  But now is the time for them to be enforced and stop the importing of Canada's garbage.

One thing Americans waste is electricity. First of all many Americans will leave the lights on in a room that is not occupied is a key example of a waste of electricity. To conserve energy all one has to do is shut off the lights when leaving a room. Americans have gotten used to leaving lights on that it has become a habit. An additional waste of electric is leaving the television on all night, whenever they are not home, or when they are out of the room. Most televisions have an option nowadays to set a timer for the TV to shut off by itself. If a person is afraid of the dark they should invest in a night light that saves energy. And last but not least when people are hungry, they dig around in the refrigerator looking for something to eat; leaving the refrigerator door open too long waste electric. A prime example of leaving the refrigerator door open is while putting away groceries or when looking

Some of them are not even aware the environmental issues are important. The United States has such high quantity of human activities to support people's daily functioning. In the article “Climate of Denial,” Al Gore points out, Americans have quadrupled the global population in the past century. Simultaneously, they depend on almost 85 percent of the world's energy by burning coal, oil, and gas. Americans are cutting, and burning forests, but the trees are supposed to help the atmosphere by reducing some added carbon dioxide (p110.) In the United States, most of the household owns at least one car, and personally owned vehicles are the primary transportation for Americans. These cars are burning a significant amount of gas, and release tons of wasted gas to the air. Compared to other countries that feel guilty, the report shows that they use public transportation more than personally owned cars, and they promote using electric scooters or bikes. If there are not enough trees to reduce these wasted gas, the wasted gas is going straight into the atmosphere and eventually undermine the environment. It is not only affecting the environment of the United States; it is polluting globally. Therefore, some Americans choose to deny the problems because they do not see the impact of global pollution has direct

Americans, as a whole, do not care about the environment anymore. When we watch the news or simply talk about our day, there are always more pressing topics that come up. However, as a nation, the threat of a failing environment seems to be forgotten because the effects are not as obvious as other threats. Bill McKibben’s “Waste Not, Want Not” discusses how much time, money, resources, and people America has actually wasted and how little effort has been made to try to change. McKibben causes readers to think it is too late to save the environment from our wastefulness because we put our efforts into systems that do not help the environment, spend more money and resources than necessary, and refuse to acknowledge how much were wasting.

Why is the American not ready to live sustainably like India and China? Brodwin (2015, March, 23), in his article “Unsustainable America”, discusses that consumers are very important to improve the environmental sustainability. In addition, consumers are able to affect sustainability. There are two countries support to improve the environmental sustainability such as India and China. In the other hand, America don’t show their willingness to improve the environmental sustainability. The author uses strong source and example to convince his readers. Also, he is egocentric because he focuses in America’s benefit. Furthermore, he uses a good example to convince reader, and that will be explained below.

The United States clearly consumes more energy than needed, but it is not all due to wastefulness and apathy. For example, if one were to compare the US with the European Union, he/she would see that the US consumes about twice as much energy. However, such an observer must take into account other factors, such as population density. The US as a whole is four times less dense in population than the EU, and therefore needs more energy for basic tasks such as commuting. In addition, the US has greater climate extremes than the nations in the EU and therefore consumes more energy for heating and air conditioning. The same facts work when comparing the US to China or Japan (Lehrman 2). Nevertheless, there is a problem in the United States that must be addressed.