Do people really know what they are buying at the store? Do they know that most of the fruits and vegetables have pesticides in them? Do they know that there are some everyday activities that can help the environment? In Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan “As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial,” they talk about how everyone can help save our planet. For example, changing the light bulbs in the house to fluorescent light, riding bikes instead of driving, and recycling can also help. In Michael Pollan’s article “Why Bother,” takes a different approach and talks about how gardening can not only help save our planet but can also benefit the population. For example, gardening can help lead a healthier lifestyle by …show more content…
Whenever people drink cans of soda they are not only harming the Earth, but they are hurting their bodies as well. Jensen and McMillian try to illustrate to their readers how manufacturers are just trying to make money, and how they do not worry about it is harming the earth and the population. The aluminum the manufacturers are using to produce these cans can be used to save energy. According to Jensen and McMillan “a single aluminum can, can save enough energy to power a television set for three hours” (Jensen and McMillan 695). This is trying to show people that it is better to recycle than not recycling at all. There are little activities in daily routines that can help the environment rather than harm it. Jensen and McMillian mention that many business manufacturers harm the dams and rivers because they are tearing them up to mine and make money (Jensen and McMillian 695). They are trying to mention to the reader how big manufacturers companies do not care for recycling and will do whatever it takes to make money. Jensen and McMillan stress about how the population as a whole should save the planet, not just one individual. All the toxic metals in the cans are harming us if we just throw them away. We can acquire diseases such as diabetes, malnutrition, Alzheimer’s, and even obesity from the cans (Jensen and McMillian 695). This is trying to inform …show more content…
Even though many might say that driving is more convent, it is actually more harmful to the Earth. Biking or walking to places nearby can help cut down the carbon produced in the air. According to Jensen and McMillan, we can save about “575 million tons of carbon dioxide” if we cut down driving (Jensen and McMillan 706). This is telling us that if we try to cut back on the driving the air can be much cleaner because it is reducing how much carbon dioxide is exerted. Cutting back on driving is one of the many solutions that can help cut back on carbon dioxide production. For example, changing out light bulbs to the fluorescent ones, lower shower heads, adjusting the thermostat, and much more are other solutions that can also help contribute the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Similarly, Pollan talks about how gardening can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air because we are limiting how many times we have to go to the grocery store. Growing most of our own foods mean “CO2 free and dollar free” lunches (Pollan 768). This is saying that if people garden they are reducing the CO2 in the soil because of the compost they are using, which in return they are getting carbon dioxide free and dollar free lunches. Another way reusing our compost helps reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is that, the compost trucks are not having
The people that imperfectly try to save the environment understand that environment may not be as healthy as it could be but still work hard to help it as much as they
For example, use public transport and use renewable sources of energy for other basic needs. On the other hand, Jensen disagrees that individuals are to blame for environmental pollution. He believes individual’s contributions are not significant for environmental pollution. He presented the showers people take each day as an example; and he explained how that water can be used again after it has gone through the sewage system. He pointed out that in developed nations only a small amount of water is wasted.
Summer informs his readers about plastic bags and their effects on the environment with large amounts of credibility. Citing several major sources and individuals, Summer appears extremely knowledgeable about this topic. He states, “according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, plastic bags, sacks, and wraps of all kinds (not just grocery bags) make up only about 1.6 percent of all municipal solid waste materials”. Throughout his argument, Summer clearly demonstrates his opinions that plastic bags do not harm the environment near as much as reusable bags do. Attempting to persuade his readers to think the same, he creates a tone of credibility as he cites numerous credible sources.
Ignorant Individuals Impact Earth Why is it that people don’t care about nature anymore? Nowadays, people are so interested and caught up in their daily lives that they don’t notice the basic beauty of nature around them. Because of this, people now think that little events don’t mean big changes are occurring. Even though Bradbury’s dystopian novel warns readers about a society that doesn’t notice the basic elements of nature around them, our current culture has failed to pay attention, and his prediction has come to fruition, resulting in the thought that little things don’t relate to a bigger picture, such as global warming.
When you see a litterbug throw the rest of their half-eaten lunch on the ground or dispose of a cigarette out their Hummer window, you might be disgusted by the fact that, that someone negatively impacts the environment. Most human beings know that our negative actions towards the environment have a ripple effect like a drop in the ocean. However, not everyone cares or sees the impact that we all individually have on the earth. In the essay, Our Unhealthy Future Under Environmentalism, John Berlau, an American economist, debates that conserving and preserving our environment is unnecessary and environmentalist should chill out with this save the planet bull crap. This essay comes directly from Berlau’s book called, Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism
In “Why Bother?” an article published in the New York Times Magazine, commentator Michael Pollan questions the severity that contributes to environmental problem and how an individual should attempt to make an impact regardless of the miniscule effect it will have presently and in the future. Pollan discusses how an individual's endeavors remain unnoticed when taking into account the consequences of one’s environmentally friendly actions. The concept of being named a liberal is discussed and its correlation towards one's decisions in changing one’s manner. Implementing laws that would promote green behavior is a drastic step to help the environment, but they would be very simple so everyone can comply.
Hunter Lovins): as we get better at producing stuff and increasing our standard of living, our impact on the environment becomes increasingly negative. Blindly pursuing a higher standard of living does have a downside. But it doesn't have to be this way. The "green movement" is gaining momentum as awareness grows regarding the need to preserve and protect our environment.
Pollan’s powerful essay ends with a paragraph that reads almost as a plea to farmers to consider changing their habits and reducing their dependence on these types of fertilizers which are so
A strong suggestion Pollan encourages, to his readers, is gardening. Gardening soothes the soul, produces more local produce, and reduces ones ' carbon footprint according to Pollan. Throughout the article, Pollan shows he understands that to make a differnece about climate change it may be difficult and a long process but is possible. By adding humor, specific diction, and concessions Pollan can make his argument in why we, as a society, should bother to do something about climate change. In the article "Why Bother?", Michael Pollan discusses the issues of climate change and why individuals should do something about it.
First of all, let’s talk about the environment. I’m sure you all know about greenhouse gases and global warming, so I won’t talk much about that, but you may not know that road vehicles produce 10% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. This does include vehicles other than cars like trucks, but Tesla just came out with an electric truck which is faster and can carry more weight than any petrol/diesel truck. Greenhouses gases carbon-dioxide and methane have hit their highest levels in the past 420,000 years, and the extent of arctic sea ice has declined about 10% in the last 30 years. This is all because of global warming, and if we start switching to electric cars, we could make a big difference and maybe, just maybe the effects of global warming will decrease.
In the article, “Forget Shorter Showers” by Derrick Jensen, the author shows the reader how they are not truly saving the earth by showering less, producing less waste or by limiting use of power. In fact, Jensen is placing the blame more toward a political based problem and more on the elites of the world who tend to blame the individuals. Jensen’s article tends to lean more toward the anti-capitalistic view of capitalism causing the earth to crumble due to the government and the elites of the world. These facts are proven by Jensen’s research into the actual use of energy consumption showing that individuals tend to use only a fourth of it, leaving the rest to be wasted away by the big corporations. Jensen also furthers his argument by showing the amount of waste used by citizens.
Self-driving cars may be designed to use less gasoline by avoiding forceful brakes or rapid accelerations, which can increase fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Self-driving vehicles and traffic lights may also interact with each other, which can assist in improving traffic flow and lessening congestion. This, in turn, can lower emissions from idle automobiles caught in traffic. Also, self-driving automobiles might make the widespread use of electric vehicles possible, significantly reducing transportation-related emissions. Electric self-driving cars may become increasingly popular as self-driving technology advances, which might result in a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions.
But that still won’t get rid of pollution. Not everyone needs to stop doing any activities that causes pollution. But, everyone needs to at least try to reduce the amount of activities they do that cause pollution. Simple acts from using common transportation to reusing plastic bags are extremely helpful to our environment and future environment. Start acting now before it’s too late.
If you Recycle Aluminum and Other Metals: The benefit in cost per can in terms of savings is so low that it’s quite insignificant. On another level, the savings in terms of energy required in making a new can from scratch as compared to making it from an existing can is
A tastefully designed yard can add cosmetic appeal to a house and, in turn, increase the overall value of one’s home. Besides adding monetary value, a garden can help one sell their house faster than the average homeowner. Gardening also realigns one with the origins of their food. After I started to care for my own vegetables and herbs, I became more conscious of my overall diet; this is something that relates to me straight away.