EJARA, JAMAICA S.

BFN 2E
ZGE 4301 – ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

M1: ACTIVITY NO.3

1. As a student of Environmental Science how will you let your family realize the
problem on the environment.

With the climate change and the natural disasters that have been going on today, it is
important to be aware that we will slowly lose our natural resources if we do not act
today. I will show them videos relating to the environmental issue today, I will tell them
that too much use of plastics damages our environment and it will come back to us
through calamities such as storms, flooding, etc.

2. What measures can you do at home to lower down your ecological footprint? Explain.

According to our ecological footprint, the measures that we can do to help our environment is to
lessen the use of plastics or to collect all the plastic wrappers and plastic bottles to make eco-
bricks, since we own a sari-sari store; instead of using plastic straws, we should buy stainless
straws; use stainless lunch boxes and stainless tumblers. We should eat less animal-based
products, instead buy raw meat or protein to make desired dish. Instead of buying plastic
wrapped veggies, we can plant our own fruit or vegetables or herbs, practice efficient use of
water and electricity, instead of riding on gas-emitting mobile, we can walk if it is not too far of a
distance.
3. Give two environmental issues and explain why you chose them.
One of the major environmental issues that we have been facing since the late 19th
Century and the beginning of the 20th century are plastics. Plastics are made to make
our life convenient; it is supposed to be a helpful solution for our everyday struggles,
from groceries, producing edible products, every day, we use it most of the time, but the
abuse, and discipline that we should have done before the problem got severe were
unacted by most of the users resulting damage to our environment. And this should not
be left unnoticed, especially by the young generation, because they are most negligent
and unaware of their trashes, though I am not blaming the children but it is our duty as
the older ones to educate them about the proper waste management, about how they
will implement it in their everyday life.

Furthermore, one-third of the food intended for humans to eat is wasted — and this
happens 365 days (about 12 months). Ever since the industrial age of human
civilization, we are contributing to the emission of 4.4 gigatons of greenhouse gases
every year, according to the study. With that number of gases it emits, how will our
planet earth be able to survive for the next hundred years, the quality of life would go
down, and the legacy for our future generation is deteriorating. Having the knowledge of
what it means to eat all the foods on your plate, buy foods that you only need, if there
are leftovers, for me, it is best if you can feed it to the stray animals, you are not just
contributing to the environment but also you are helping the stray pass a day with a full
stomach. It is like hitting two birds with one stone, we should not just know it, we should
not just understand it but act on it as a member of the community and as a citizen of the
world.

4. With the environmental issues you chose, what solutions you think would be feasible
to alleviate the problem.

First of all, we should educate ourselves then our young people that it is important that we care about
our environment cause how we treat our planet is what we receive while we are still here on earth.
Awareness first, then act on it, join organizations that promote and make activities that make solutions
to the current environmental problems. Discipline ourselves by the simple act such as throwing your
trash in the proper place, lessen the use of single-use plastics, buy several foods that you need, avoid
wasting food, feed stray animals if ever you have leftovers.
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