Extract from the West Australian:
"Our environment consist of three main sections - water, air and land. Let's see what we can do in each area;
Water:
- Reduce the amount of water you use, so precious clean supplies do not run out.
- Prevent the pollution of water by not putting harmful chemicals, oils, waste, fertilisers and rubbish down drains or into rivers and teh ocean.
Air:
- Reduce the amount of harmful gases that pollute the air.
- Limit the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, which are non-renewable which can add to the impact of global warming.
Land:
- Limit the amout of nitive plants removed or plant new ones. Plants help replenish oxygen, stregthen riverbanks, provide a habitat for native animals and reduce the effect of rising water tables wich can bring an excess of salt to the surface.
- Reduce the amount of rubbish that makes its way to the tip. Some things will last a very long time in the soil and harmful chemicals from the rubbish can seep into the soil and get into your river systems if the landfill is not preperly treated.
Reduce, reusem recycle:
If you are going to remember any rule about saving the environment, it has to be the 3Rs. If you haven't heard about them, here's a crash course in the basics:
Reduce:
This is the action should always come first because it actually means less of teh bad stuff is gettin ginto the environment, and more of the good stuff is staying where it should be.
- Don't be a drip- reduce the amount of water you use around teh home and in your garden.
- You have the power- turn lights off when you leave a room and only use your air-conditioner when you really need it.
- Limit traffic pollution by walking or cycling.
- Reduce rubbish. Think carefully about what you buy and what you throw away.
- Say NO to the plastic bags and packaging.
Reuse:
There are many things that don't need to be thrown out. They can be used as something else or be given to another person:
- Pass it on - clothes, books and toys can be passed down to siblings or donated to charity
- Storage solution- takeaway contairners can be kept and reused to store other items or taken to school as a luch box
- Choose refill- many products like liquid had soap, laundry liquid and computer ink cartidges are now deigned to be refilled.
- Paper caper- always write on both sides of the page and use leftovers as scrpt for making notes.
Recycle:
Recycling reduces the amount of new material that needs to be produced and it also saves energy in the production phase:
- In the bin- recycling bins are now available in most parts of WA.
- Make sure that you follow the guidelines on your recycling bins. Washing contairners before recycling is really helpful.
- Buy recylced products like paper, and things made form recycled plastic.plastic. Sometimes even clothes are made form recycled plastic.
Plastic bags:
Plastic bags are one of the worst types of criminals around. They are often eaten by marine animals (they bear a striking resemblance to jellyfish) but the worst part is that the animal which eats it can choke, die and decay and the plastic bag is released back into the environment to do even more damage."
