When you hear someone say “eco-friendly”, you might think of the recycling symbol, the Earth or a tree, but was does it actually mean to be green? Well, there are a lot of things. Green is the colour that usually represents the Earth and we use it to describe things that are good for the Earth. But what does it mean to be “good for the Earth”? It means that it’s sustainable, has a minimal impact on the Earth and it doesn’t harm most things that live on this planet.
Sustainability is one of the key things for something to be green. It means that we can keep using something over and over again and it will never cease to work or cause damage to the Earth or its inhabitants. For example, renewable energy is sustainable because it comes from sources that will always be available. It also does not emit any greenhouse gases that would contribute to Climate Change; it barely pollutes the Earth at all. Therefore, it’s sustainable because we’ll always have it and we can keep using it over and over. Recycling is also very sustainable because when we recycle we are reusing something again and again. If we make materials out of old materials, which is a type of recycling, we will always be using the same materials. Therefore, we will never have to get rid of them or find more.
Each person has their own “Eco Footprint”. Your eco footprint shows how much of the Earth you’re using. The smaller your eco footprint is, the less demand you have for all of the Earth’s resources. The more things you waste and consume, the bigger your footprint will be. To prevent having such a big impact on the Earth, you can use the ideas under “Take Action at Home”. Try conserving water, energy and gasoline for transportation and try to reduce the amount of things you consume. Test your eco footprint at: http://www.myfootprint.org/
As long as something doesn’t pollute, contribute to any environmental problems or harm people or animals, it is a green alternative and something good for the Earth! There are many green alternatives, so try to find these as often as possible, live sustainably and reduce your eco footprint!
