PERC Youth Committee. World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated around the globe annually on the 5th of June by various activities and campaigns, with the aim of drawing public attention to numerous environmental problems and to the need to preserve the nature.
Recently we had a unique chance to witness the effect of measures meant to stop the spread of corona virus: the nature sprung back to life because of almost non-existent human activity. Satellite imagery shows that the amount of air pollution in China and Italy has decreased, water in some cities like Venice has become cleaner. This clearly displays the negative impact humanity has on the environment.

We all should focus on sustainable consumption and attempt to minimize our impact on nature. It can be done following these easy steps.

1. Water Usage.

Pay attention to the amount of water you use. Even insignificant reduction in water usage can make a big difference in the long-term perspective. Use cold water when possible. Closing the tap, when brushing your teeth might be a good start.

2. Recycling.

You can reduce pollution by sorting trash and fixing certain items instead of discarding them. As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reveals, if a company of 7000 employees recycled all the paper waste during the year, it would be equivalent to 400 fewer cars on the roads.

3. Leave your car at home.

By driving car less frequently you can significantly contribute to the reduction of the greenhouse gasses emission. When possible use bike, or walk. You will reduce air pollution, burn calories and improve your health.

4. Energy efficiency.

Make your home more energy efficient and save money. Clean the filters of air conditioning units so that the system would use less energy to perform its tasks. To avoid wasting energy while you are away, get a programmable thermostat. Turn off the lights when you are not in the room and unplug the devices you are not using.

5. Reuse plastic bags.

There are more than five trillion pieces of plastic, which is equivalent to roughly 250 000 tonnes, in the world’s oceans. Plastic bags are one of the sources of this pollution. If you already have a plastic bag, you don’t have to take a new one in the store every time you go shopping, re-use the bag you already have.

6. Think of bees.

Bees are very important for the ecosystem, but their number is constantly declining. You can help them by making your garden a friendly environment for bees with plants such as lavender, roses, sunflowers and geraniums.

PERC Youth Committee