Change Your Actions,

NOT the Climate

Summers are becoming much hotter, winters are increasingly warmer, animals are dying, and
water levels are rising. Many are ignoring it, but I refuse to. Climate change, or global
warming, is a controversial topic that many believe is a hoax, but science has proven
otherwise. People who are skeptical to climate change use arguments such as, “Today is cold
so how can the earth be heating?”, “Climates have changed before!”, and even “Animals and
people can adapt to the changing earth so these changes don’t really matter.” Climate change
is not something that can be ignored and brushed off like this, though. Humans need to
understand that their actions are what are putting the earth at risk to irreversible and deadly

damage.

Here is the quick run-down for those who are not familiar with climate change/global
warming:

What is climate change?

Climate change is considered many things but can be defined as the rising atmosphere
temperatures.

What is causing climate change?

Humans are causing climate change. One of the biggest contributors is the burning of fossil
fuels and increasing greenhouse gas levels caused by different human activities. According
to NSW Government, stationary energy sources (coal), transportation, coal mines,
agriculture, land use, land change, and waste are all contributing to climate change. (We all
take part in at least one of those activities.)

What has climate change already done to the planet?

The World Wide Fund for Nature lays out exactly what climate change is doing to the planet.
On top of the amounts of fossil fuels being burned that I have already mentioned, animals are
going extinct, there is deforestation, coral reefs are dying, the polar regions have less ice, and

much more…

What can we do to make a difference?

I understand that this blog may have just seemed like some recycling facts or just some hippy
who likes nature, but the entire blog is dedicated to educating the readers on ways to help
prevent the increase in climate change. Recycling, walking instead of driving, eating less
meat, and all of the little tips I’ve written about are all ways you can make a difference in the
environment and do your part in preventing the rising temperatures’ effects. Climate change
is a bit controversial, although it is scientifically proven to be happening; there are so many
easy changes that can be made whether or not you believe in the environmental changes.

As I wrote the last post for this blog, I reflected on how much I really care about this topic,
and I really hope that the readers have learned something that can be taken with them. I have
learned some pretty mind blowing statistics through this process, which have just created
more of a passion for the topic of sustainability. There is just one planet that humans are
living on, and this one planet’s well being is deteriorating. It is incredibly necessary to the
plants and animals of our environments and future generations that a sustainable change is
being made, and it needs to happen now.

Remember: there is no planet b.

FILED UNDER: UNCATEGORIZED

Say Sayonara to Cigs

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 BY ELIE WAGNER LEAVE A COMMENT
Think back to middle school: the Aeropostale tee-shirts, the first crush, and the awkward
health classes. Those health classes really didn’t teach me much about sex, but the few words
about private parts caused uncontrollable giggles. I do remember, and always will, the
amount of times the classes I have had talking about cigarettes; the Say No to
Drugs campaign became ingrained into our brains at a very early age. I remember seeing the
mason jar full of tar that symbolized the tar that would build up on the lungs from smoking
cigarettes. I saw that and my asthmatic self knew that a cigarette would never touch my lips.
Today, people seem to be using Juuls in a much more regular pattern than the people I see
using cigarettes, but I know both are being used frequently.

I’m sure everyone knows what I’m getting at: cigarettes and nicotine are bad for your
body. People usually know this before they begin smoking and choose to do it anyway.
However, like most actions by the human race, people are ignorant to what happens to the
environment because of cigarettes. The first thing that comes to mind is the cigarette butts
that litter the ground. I saw this photo a few days ago and I think it is really eye opening; we
would never want to eat cigarette butts for dinner so why are we allowing animals to? On the
label, in small print, it says that 200 million pounds of cigarette butts are thrown away in the
United States each year. Understandably, this is often in the form of litter, meaning that
animals are able to eat them.

Another horrible impact of cigarettes is the damage done to the atmosphere, which is caused
by burning cigarettes. The Truth Initiative explained that the thousands of chemicals in
cigarettes pollute the air with secondhand smoke, and the thirdhand smoke creates residues
buildup. Another impact of cigarettes is how their production impacts the environment:
deforestation, chemicals, and energy usage. This impact isn’t very interesting, but it is
definitely noteworthy.

I know that this is an environmental blog, and you are here to be learning about our planet,
but I want to remind everyone what these nic-sticks (clever, right?) are doing to our bodies.
The most important thing I think I learned in middle school was that each cigarette you
smoke takes an average of ten minutes off of your life. That is unfathomable to me.
According to the Truth Initiative, one Juul pod contains 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine.
People are forgetting that Juuling still creates a nicotine addiction. These Juul pods still
contain chemicals after they are empty and are not properly disposed of, ending up as
environmental litter.
I really hope that I used some intimidating statistics to create a realization that quitting
smoking is so important for your health and the environment. If the amount of cigarette butts
found in animal carcasses doesn’t make you want to quit, the horrible life expectancy and
chance of lung cancer should.

My dad struggled with addiction for years so I know it is a real problem, but the first step is
realizing that you are motivated to better yourself.

Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW

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Take a Hike
NOVEMBER 8, 2018 BY ELIE WAGNER 3 COMMENTS

I am from a very small town in the middle of a completely rural area. The only stores we
have are within walking distance for anyone, and there is only one “busy” street that would
have to be crossed. My mom has always been an advocate for walking to these stores instead
of driving to them, but I think it’s because she likes to exercise; she even makes our family
go on family bike rides. My mother has created a healthy habit in me, once again, that
benefits me and our planet. Limiting the usage of cars and gasoline is one of the most
recommended actions when it comes to making environmental change.
From the environmentalist side of things, cars and other vehicles are incredibly
scary; Sciencing.com says that they create one-fifth of the pollution aiding to global
warming! These gases that are emitted, called greenhouse gases, are what are trapped in the
atmosphere and are causing the Earth’s temperatures to rise. These rising temperatures
impact many things, such as farming, sea levels, and wildlife. Other gases that are emitted are
damaging the ozone layer and are even creating acid rain!

The environment is not the only thing at risk because of this pollution. The Washington State
Department of Ecology is an incredibly useful resource that lays out what effects vehicles
have on human health. Carbon monoxide is a familiar gas, and it can kill someone if there is
enough exposure. Ozone, which is smog, hurts the lungs and particulate matter collects inside
of people’s lungs. Other substances that are products of vehicle usage are sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide, lead, formaldehyde, and other toxic air pollutants. The Environmental
Protection Agency created Air Quality Standards because of how dangerous these materials
are for human health.

(Oil and gasoline spills from cars also end up contaminating water, but that is a different
problem in itself and do not necessarily come from driving cars.)

In a Canadian Survey, a study was done that said four tons of carbon dioxide is emitted by
the average car each year. If every Canadian decided to not drive their car once a week, 3.8
million tons of harmful gases would not enter the atmosphere.

If you’re not intrigued by how the environment suffers from the use of cars, are you
interested in the health aspect of things? Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that question; I know
that you want to benefit your body! MSN wrote an article about fifty ways walking can
benefit your body! That is overwhelming, I know, but it gets my point across.

Some of the best reasons are:

1. A better heart health

2. A more positive mental attitude
3. Boosts the immune system
4. Creates stronger bones
5. Shown to increase lifespan

To motivate yourself to walk more, think about how it will benefit you! Also, think about
how it will impact the environment and help your future family. College students walk quite a
bit, I know, but try to skip the Uber next time you can. Every little bit makes a difference.
A more expensive way to make a difference is to invest in a newer car. Electric cars, hybrid
cars, or just more fuel efficient cars will make a difference.

If you could have any new, efficient car, what would you choose?