The
Future
Preserving the Future: The Whole World Is Going Green
By: K.D. Perry
Qualexcel@gmail.com
Imagine a world where there were no landfills. Imagine a world where you never had to have raggedy plastic store bags falling out of your grandmother’s pantry. Imagine a world where you can travel hundreds of miles on one tank of gas. Imagine a day where petroleum gasoline is forbidden. Imagine a new housing development where the homes are made from totally organic and recyclable materials. Imagine lower energy bills and lower water bills. If you can imagine it then it’s not that far off. Believe it or not the world is going green.
Unfortunately we live in a society that wastes and a society that is slowly but surely causing harm to mankind and the Earth. Although harm is being done and some consider that the misuse of our resources, there are some out there that are not reciprocating the habits of the majority. April 22, 2008 was World Earth Day. Here in California it was celebrated from Wilshire Boulevard to Western Avenue all the way to Vermont Avenue. It was all blocked off and full of Southern California locals. Healthy organically grown foods were served, organic clothing was displayed, and live music were all a part of the festivities.
This event was just one of the many festivals across the state. Some cities are not only interested in having festivals and fairs, but the whole “Going Green” idea has become a competition. With an economy that’s spiraling downward, who wouldn’t want to go green, especially if it’s going to cause substantial savings and promote healthier lifestyles? Cities across the U.S. are actually in the game to see who will be the greenest each year. The number one city for 2008 is Portland, Oregon and Seattle ranked number eight.
More than 4 in 10 Tokyo residents (41.6 percent), said they "don't want to sacrifice a convenient lifestyle to prevent global warming,"
The city that most people consider the dirtiest and the most unclean actually made the list. Want to take a wild guess? Well, The Big Apple made number twenty. Thanks to its storied (and widely used) public transportation, energy-efficient housing and good water quality, New York ranks among the nation’s green cities. Central Park makes it even greener. New Yorkers use fewer resources and puts less pressure on their surroundings than any other city of its size. So NY is now the Big Green Apple?
Sure the North West states would be amongst the cleanest, but Chula Vista, CA thinks that essentially they have a shot at being ‘The Greenest”. Solar panels and native plants are just some of the things Chula Vista residents could be seeing more of in the coming years. The Chula Vista City Council adopted a few new standards that could have residents seeing green.
The standards include:
· buying alternative-fuel vehicles when the current gas-powered city fleet needs to be replaced
· Encouraging city contractors, like garbage collectors, to do the same
· creating a green building standard for all future construction
· Mandatory energy audits for businesses
· Encouraging water-conserving landscaping instead of grass -- making it easier to install solar panels
- Encouraging smart growth, like mixed-use developments
Now that’s thinking outside the box. It’ll be expensive, but it will pay off in the future.
You may or may not live in one of the greenest cities, but there are steps for you to make your home a lot greener. Take a look at this video from our friends at CNN studios:
Students there are ways you can go green too! Yes you too can be green and be off the chain with it. Here are some things you can encourage your school to do to be green:
- Serve locally grown foods, organic fruits and vegetables and fair-trade coffee
- Recycle paper, aluminum, glass and plastic. Also encouraging students to donate unwanted items instead of throwing them in the trash bin.
- Collect clothes, books, cell phones and other reusable materials from students when they move out of the dorms at the end of the academic year. Then donate the items to community organizations.
Japan may be at the cutting edge of green technologies, but its capital has the least environmentally conscious residents of eight of the world's richest cities, a poll showed. More than 4 in 10 Tokyo residents (41.6 percent), said they "don't want to sacrifice a convenient lifestyle to prevent global warming," according to the poll results published recently by Japanese advertising agency Hakuhodo. The percentage was the highest among the residents of Tokyo, New York, Paris, London, Milan, Moscow, Toronto and Frankfurt, and well above the average of 29.7 percent, according to the survey of 2,600 people.
“…you too can be green and be off the chain…”
However, the poll showed that nearly 90 percent of Tokyo residents feel threatened by global warming. Most of the people who participated in the survey responded by saying, "environmental protection is more important than economic growth.” Along with Tokyo, people all over the world have the dilemma of not wanting to give up a convenient lifestyle that they've had for years. But in case you don’t know, we can all make a difference if we just try. Remember, ‘We are the World’ so let’s take care of ourselves. In the end we will all benefit from it. So Kermit, It is that easy to be green!
http://www.green.yahoo.com