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• 5 ways to be green

“I’m gonna make a change for once in my life/it’s gonna feel real good/gonna make a difference, gonna make it right...”

As quoted by Michael Jackson, let’s look at the man (or woman) in the mirror, and be the change that we want to see. In this day and age, with all the air and water pollution, energy consumption and excess of waste, it’s important to remember that we only have one earth.

How can we make a change?

1 RECYCLE! I’m pretty sure this method has been over-pushed, but it really does not take much time. Most housing areas have recycle boxes, so walk your plastics, papers and cardboard to the bins.

2 If you’re not in the room, turn off the light! This is one of the easiest ways to conserve energy. Even if you are in the room, do you really need all three lights on?

3 What about the tap? Even simply turning off a dripping faucet can help. Not only should we conserve light energy, water conservation is also very important for our preservation. You also save the energy that the water suppliers use to treat and move water to you, not to mention that you save money on the water bill — two birds with one stone.

4 There is little need to drive your own car around campus. If you can get there on your bike, ride the bike! If you can, take a bus. Take advantage of CUM-TD.

5 Plastic bags are not biodegradable, meaning they don’t break down. The materials needed to make the plastic bags also add to global emissions. Even if you are just shopping at the mall or supermarket, get yourself a cute reusable tote!

Too often, we hear people saying that their small contribution won’t make a difference. But the earth is something that we all share; one person can make the difference. Let’s not forget, though, that this is a group effort. If everyone contributed to our environmental downfall, everyone can contribute to the revival of our beautiful planet.