how wECAn stopBEingECo-hypoEritEs--stEps thAtEvEn thE mostECoFriEnDly
shoulD tAkE toAvoiD hurting thE plAnEt
whEn it ComEs to my trEE-hugging ACquAintAnCEs AnD ECoFriEnDly nEighBors, i Am ConsiDErED An ECo-DinosAur. whyBECAusE i Do wiCkED things likE EAt mEAt, own A CAr, AnD, gAllingly, rEFusE to FEEl guilty ABout thEm. i Also Don’t tut-tut DisApprovingly At "thAt Co-workEr" who prints out EvEry E-mAil.AnD i DEFinitEly Don’t Burst into tEArs EvEry timE somEBoDy pulls out plAstiC utEnsils or sips BottlED wAtEr.
this is why somE pEoplE think i hEArt(支持)British pEtrolEum, whEn thE rEAlity is somEwhErE in thE miDDlE. i tAkE puBliC trAnsportAtion, rECyClE plAstiC BAgs, AnD usECFl (节能灯) BulBs. i Do worry ABout polAr BEArs AnD gloBAl wArming, AnD toxiC mEssEs, But i Don’t usE my ConCErns to push pEoplE into Doing whAt’s "right". thE simplE rEAson: i Don’t wAnt to BE An ECo-hypoCritE(环保伪君子). iF you think you Don’t know whAt thAt mEAns, trust mE, you Do.
i’m tAlking ABout thE typE oF pEoplE (i mEAn you ,lAuriEDAviD) who nEvEr wAstE An opportunity to tEll thE rEst oF us how thE worlD is going to hEll thAnks to inAppropriAtEly DisposED BAttEriEs AnD EnErgy-suCking light BulBs, whilE oFtEn BrEAking ECo-rulEs thEmsElvEs. thEy Do thAt BECAusE it’s impossiBlE not to BrEAk thE rulEs, givEn thAt somE oF thE things thAt hurt thE EnvironmEnt most ArE onEs wE All DEpEnD on.Don’t BEliEvE mEChECk out A FEw ExAmplEs oF things wE-ECo-hypoCritEs inCluDED--shoulD Do iF wE rEAlly wAnt to hElp this plAnEt.
gEt riD oF trAsh
riDDing A City oF wAstE is not As FArFEtChED As it sounDs. sAn FrAnCisCo hAs AlrEADy vowED to go wAstE-FrEE By 2020, AnD hAs sEt up onE oF thE most AggrEssivE rECyCling progrAms in thE nAtion. it mAy sEEm likE A DAyDrEAm, But All propErtiEs ArE rEquirED to rECyClE AnD Compost(制成堆肥). thAt’s right, thE EntirE City DoEs not throw AwAy FooD sCrAps, soilED pApEr, or plAnts--morE thAn 62 000 tons sinCE thE progrAm BEgAn in 2009. rECology sAn FrAnCisCo, thE City’s wAstE-mAnAgEmEnt DEpArtmEnt, will EvEn piCk up lArgE itEms AnD ClothEs. For othEr plACEs thAt CoulD usE somE hElp going grEEn, grEEnErCitiEs. org oFFErs A tool kit to hElp EACh Community iDEntiFy loCAl prioritiEs AnD DEvElop A plAn. stopDriving
i know, it sounDs DrAstiC, But so DoEs DEstroying thE EArth.AmEriCAns AnD thEir CArs Emit morE CArBon DioxiDE thAn thE EntirE EConomy oF Any othEr nAtion ExCEptChinA, AnD us Auto Driving goBBlEs sEvEn out oF EvEry 10 BArrEls oF oil wE ConsumE. "thE us is thE ownEr oF thE worlD’s ,lArgEst trAnsportAtion systEm, AnD rEDuCing Emissions From this systEm is CritiCAl to An EFFECtivE grEEn housE gAs rEDuCtion strAtEgy," sAysEilEEnClAussEn, prEsiDEnt oF thE pEwCEntEr on gloBAlClimAtEChAngE.CitiEs suCh As sAnDiEgo, nEw york, AnDBoston ArE AlrEADy promoting A low-CAr DiEt. instEAD oF rEFlExivEly hopping into thE CAr, pEoplE ArE EnCourAgED to tAkE BusEs or trollEys(电车), gEt on A BikE, or just wAlk. nEw york hAs Built milEs oF nEw BikE lAnEs, whilE sAnDiEgo AnDBoston ArE pushing pEoplE to givE up thEir CArs AltogEthEr AnD usE zipCAr sErviCEs whEn A CAr is nECEssAry. surE, wE shoulD ContinuE to Buy All thE FAnCy rEusABlE BAgs wE wAnt, But iF wE Don’t work on our trAnsportAtion issuEs, wE’rE just rEArrAnging DECk ChAirs .on thE titAniC、wAtCh your wAtEr
this mEAns morE thAn turning oFF thE sink whEn you’rE Brushing your tEEth. whilE wAtEr is (For thE most pArt) plEntiFul in thE us, thAt’s not thE CAsE EvErywhErE in thE worlD、unpollutED FrEsh wAtEr is A FinitE rEsourCE AnD is inCrEAsingly in DEmAnD As thE humAn populAtion grows. right now, thE worlD’s supply is BEing DrAinED FAstEr thAn nAturE CAn rEplEnish it, AnD thE un prEDiCts thAt DEmAnD will ExCEED supply By At lEAst 30 pErCEnt in 2040.Along with thE EnvironmEnt, this is AlrEADy AFFECting FooD suppliEs. wAnt morE inFormAtion on whAt’s BEing DonE AnD how you CAn