Matter of Choice
The other day after finishing my water bottle, I was on my way to put it in the trash, and then I saw two trash-cans in different colors, one black and the other one blue. As I acknowledged the differences between these two cans, I decided to put it in the blue one to recycle the bottle, because it is the best option for the health of our environment. However Julie Daniel, the author of “Cutting Consumption is Greenest Path” cautions, “Recycling doesn’t prevent us from creating waste; it’s a very effective, and necessary, way to deal with resources we’ve already used.” Julie explains that by recycling we are not doing enough to cut down on harmful waste in our culture, we are transforming the product so it be reused for better options in our country, but eventually , it will still end up in a landfill. Therefore, Daniel urges us to cut down on how much we buy so that we do not waste resources and do not harm the environment. What are the options for every US citizen to reduce waste? Should we follow the exact same path as I did to recycle, or is it better to not waste things such as food if possible? It’s a matter of education to solve this cultural problem that we all have faced and witnessed. We need to start by acknowledging what consequences wasting food, overbuying and not recycling can cause to us in a short and long term conditions to our life. One problem this culture faces is lack of knowledge and too much laziness. Informing ourselves and starting to be more proactive can help us do better for our environment.
As many people know and have witness here in the United Sates we have public schools that provide free breakfast and free lunch meals. It seems to me that many children throughout their public education from elementary school through high school tend to waste too much food at least in part because it is free. I’ve been wasteful many times with my free lunch food. By not appreciating the free meal this country is...