Little Effort, Big Difference

As The World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Stay In Denial, by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan, is a graphic novel about the state of our environment. They use cartoons and abundant sarcasm to convey the message that the attempts people are making to save the environment are not enough to do any real good. Their message challenges both those of Edward O. Wilson and the University of Connecticut in that Jensen and McMillan’s ideas are much more radical and suggest that the ideas posed by Wilson and UConn, such as the importance of recycling and sustainability efforts, are ineffective at saving the environment. We must resolve the challenges posed by Jensen and McMillan so that all of the ideas put forth in the sources may work together rather than against each other. In order to do this we must accept that some of the ideas given by Jensen and McMillan may be too extreme to do any real good and that the ideas suggested by Wilson and UConn, though slightly ineffective, are nonetheless important steps in saving the environment. Taken alone, none of their ideas will save the environment; instead it is necessary to combine the ideas of Wilson, UConn, and Jensen and McMillan in order to create a more realistic plan to save the planet.

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.

Tons of waste is put in our environment every year harming our planet. In florida alone 32,589,513 tons of waste is dumped only 13,809,704 of that was recycled in 2015.(FDEP) Many schools don't teach about the harm this does on the environment and as we continue to increase waste we need to drastically increase the amount recycled. To achieve this goal a program should be set up to Teach about reuse, reduce, and recycle. Have kids plant trees in your community or coordinate a paper drive. This program would be called Ecology day.

Environmentalism has been difficult for us to keep control of and the use of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act explain how we are supposed to keep our air and water clear for our own use. During the 1970s most of these laws were passed and hopefully during Presidents Trump's campaign will have a better idea of our environment and how we can change America to becoming a better country environmentally. America is one of the countries that need to be changed environmentally for us to have a better living place for us now, instead of for works working in mines and gaining bad lungs from breathing in the wrong type of air. If we change these laws to fit our environment

I know today that it takes more than activism to create change. Hailing from a family deeply involved in environmental politics and science, the wellbeing of the environment has always been something I’ve

Throughout world history, people have come up with brilliant new ideas to make life easier, and as time goes on, research, making food, and getting news, has all become instantaneous. It now only takes the push of a button to cook a thanksgiving meal or the click of a remote to find out what’s happening across the world. These things are often taken for granted, and rarely does someone stop and say: “I wonder what turning on this extra lamp does to the environment?” This statement sounds insignificant when there are people starving in other countries and people are training for the army. Yet, being concerned about the environment is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the environment should be one of the biggest concerns among people, as

Ever since I was a young child, I had a passion for nature. Aided by my parents, this drive was always fueled by day hikes, week long tenting trips, beach days, and long walks in the woods. This exposure to nature made me realize how precious and fragile it was. My passion for nature then escalated into a passion for the environment and protecting it. After taking Environmental Science at high school my junior year, I was able to blossom that passion for environmental protection into a reality with the inception of the Sustainability Squad. The sustainability Squad is an environmental awareness club who’s mission is, “promoting a sustainable lifestyle in and around York high school by spearheading initiatives such as the garden center and

Many Americans do not realize the full extent of how much we negatively affect the environment. There has been quite a bit of research and studies conducted on how to become more environmentally friendly; however, these are simply ideas and without action taken from citizens it is all worthless. It is quite exhilarating to have a goal and then have that goal be achieved; you get to see all your hard work be paid off. Many goals are inspired from one thing or another. The documentary No Impact Man makes you feel motivated to take a stand and help the environment. In the documentary, it is awesome to see how hard this family worked through the year to make a change and aid the environment. After calculating my carbon emissions, finding out how

The Environmental Movement is fighting for a change in public policy and individual behavior to address environmental issues. Environmentalists advocate the sustainable management of resources and stewardship of

Every day, I see people walking out of stores with their own bags, or people at the register declining plastic bags. I see people who opt to ride bikes, walk, and take public transportation instead of driving a personal vehicle. On a bigger scale, I see companies pushing for greener practices, aiming to reduce their waste and use sustainable

Currently, many schools follow a typical science curriculum with a little focus on our effects on the environment beyond the Earth Day focus. As mentioned above, this non-profit organization aims to educate students about the watershed, caring for the environment, the origins of food, and about the animals’ diversity in our local environment. The description of these programs demonstrates meaningful application of the concepts introduced, continued opportunities for usage, and their true desire to positively affect the education of these students. Not only would the trash free environment approach teach young students about environmental awareness and responsibility, but the other programs would support the known science

As a 17-year old teenager going to high school, contrary to the environmental activist, David Suzuki’s, remarks about the ignorance of humans about nature, I receive much information about these kinds of problems at my school, from dedicated assemblies, eco fairs and special days that address our responsibility to deal with nature in a more responsible fashion. Yet, when the school day is over, all of the information seeps out of the roof of the school; plastic water bottles are still found in the corners of hallways and leftover Tim Hortons cups are still present in the desks of my former Business class. Even when I step inside the door of my house, the disconnection from nature is apparent. Most of my time at home is spent looking at a screen and doing homework and the only sign of nature would be the fly

Our environment is facing many problems lately that cannot be ignored. This is an important issue that we all need to try and solve, because it is becoming more and more of a problem in our everyday life. Most of us are ignoring the fact that pollution and litter is becoming a big problem in this society, also that all of us are a part of it.

In the wake of nuclear threats, and ever-industrializing world, environmentalism was conceived. People began to finally consider how the actions and needs of humanity were negatively impacting the physical world around us, and began to become a voice in opposition to environmental degradation on many different levels. While environmentalism in the past has often been pure in intent, many of the goals involve governmental change, and forgo focus on the individual. While regulations and laws in favor of the environment are obviously positive, they are worthless if they are not implemented on an individual level. Individual and local efforts, in terms of environmentalism, are often the most impactful and effective, eventually leading to change on a larger scale. With this idea in mind, environmentalism cannot just be something that occurs in wake of a threat or focuses on large-scale rules and regulations; it must work on shifting the perspective of individuals on a personal level.

This seems most required in the face of modern environmental degradation and exploitation. One of my most vivid memories is looking at a group of protesters, stand beneath the large “Bank of America” signboard in Midtown Manhattan, chanting “Climate change! Peace over profit.” As I participated in the largest climate march in history this fall in New York, I could see the reflections of a dissatisfied class amongst the protesters. The disgust at the exploitative means of the capitalists was not limited to the so-called working class. Instead, students, citizens of the future, were at the forefront, protesting the harmful practices that, in the name of profit, degrade the natural splendor and resources of our planet.