What can you do for the environment? (essay) - Co możesz zrobić dla środowiska? (esej)

Nature nowadays is in serious trouble. If we do not change our attitude to protecting it we may soon not be able to benefit from its fruits. It is essential then that every single person feels responsible for the environment. It is not enough to count on world’s leaders, who are often not determined to stop our civilization from destroying the planet. Most of the political summits concerning the matter ended up in failure – the leaders could not reach agreement, which is essential to counteract the effects of the ongoing destruction.

Each of us can protect the environment on our own. Sometimes it is enough to put a little effort into our everyday activities and change inappropriate habits to be helpful. What can we do to make the situation better in our local area? How can we protect the environment in our towns and villages?

We can start from protecting the environment in general. The easiest way to contribute to our better future is to save energy. We ought to remember about turning off the light and the TV-set. Many of us leave their computers on while sleeping or in many other situations when it is simply not necessary. We should think about changing this bad habit. We need to think of how we use water as well. Unfortunately, a great number of people tend to waste it as it is running down all the time while they are taking a shower or washing the dishes.

The best solution is to use energy-saving and water-saving devices, like special bulbs, dishwashers, modern washing machines and refrigerators. What is more, it is advisable to apply renewable energy sources. Every single person who owns a house can install solar panels. Even if they are too expensive, we can support ideas of replacing traditional power stations with those, which provide us with renewable energy. While traditional ones produce much pollution, alternative power stations are more environmentally – friendly. This is because in power stations that make use of water or wind, the emission of carbon dioxide is not involved.

One may act in favour of the environment in the nearby area in many ways. Some of them are obvious – e. g. we ought to remember about riding a bike, using public transport etc. We can also adopt new attitude to travelling to work. Driving to work on your own is quite common, whereas we could simply ask our neighbours if they wanted to travel with us. It would be cheaper and better for the environment alike. Thanks to it, the air that we breathe would not be as polluted as it is now.

What is more, in order to change the present situation, one may join some initiatives for the environment. This includes putting pressure on those in power to adopt new approach to environmental issues – such as recycling or waste segregation. Of course, you can fight for it on your own but your efforts will probably be more effective if you support non – governmental organizations, like Greenpeace or Polska Zielona Sieć.  

Education is also of great importance. I can assure you that there are still many people in your area who are not aware of the environmental issues and do not have a clue how to protect the environment. You may be the one to change it. Prepare presentations concerning this topic, demonstrate them at schools, organize environmental events, in which local residents will be involved.

As you can see, there are plenty of examples, how to act in favour of the environment in your local area. If you feel responsible for the quality of it, you are bound to find some ideas that suit you. You do not have to change your life completely, it is enough to familiarize with some useful habits and put them into practice. Just do not wait for others – the environment does not have so much time.