Going green at fourteen?

Question

I'm a 14 year old and I'm really concerned about the environment

but I don't know what to do to help.

Since I'm only fourteen, I can't buy solar plates or expensive things along those lines.

Is there anything I can do to help that doesn't cost much, if anything at all?

Answer 1

You can do a lot in your own household. You probably already recycle, turn the lights off when you leave a room. Try and get your parents to turn off appliances at the wall. Anything that operates in stand-by mode can use up to 10% extra power, TV, VCR, DVD etc. The only disadvantage is that the inbuilt clock will be off.

Take shorter showers, don't leave the tap running while you brush your teeth. It all helps. Even switching off your monitor if you're away from the computer for a while. You don't have to go the trouble of re-booting to save energy. Thanks for restoring my faith in your generation, keep up the good work.

Answer 2

You can go out and inspire other people around you. Check this website for cool ideas:

Answer 3

There are so many things you can do. To name a few:

-Recycle - including print cartridges, paper

-Turn off the water when you brush your teeth

-Use canvas shopping bags

-Use cloth napkins

-Use a toaster oven to reheat rather than a conventional oven

There's a list of 50 things you can do to be more green here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Save money and the environment by making your own foam soap:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Answer 4

Oh my gosh! You are like the only 14 year old besides myself and family that I have ever found that cares about the environment. Props to you for wanting to help :].

These are some of the best ways I have found to help out...

1) Turn off your lights and any other energy consuming things when you leave a room, for example: lights, computer, hair curlers/straighteners, or anything else along those lines. This decreases the amount of energy you use and heat you create, which helps reduce global warming!

2) Recycle! For all of the obvious reasons

3) Buy organic products, or ask your mom to do so. By buying organic you are not promoting the chemical grown products that are polluting our earth. You can also buy organic cotton products for clothing. Also as an alternative for wood or cloth (for future knowledge)

you can buy bamboo products, the cloth it creates is very soft and bamboo is very strong, possibly even stronger than some wood!

4) Encourage friends and family to use organic cleaning and lawn products. By doing this you are saving our water supply. Every drop of water gets re-used so every cleaning product you dump down your drain or spray on your lawn you end up drinking later, theoretically speaking.

5) Use organic shampoo, yes they do make it, I use Organix. The shampoo used in the US is extremely terrible for the environment and by switching shampoo you can make a huge difference!

6) Save trees! Recycle paper and refrain from using paper plates, or wash and re-use plastic plates :]

I hope some of these tips and ideas help you help our environment!

Answer 5

You can recycle, use less electricity, and ride your bike instead of driving (for when you are old enough to get a license).  I use cheap florescentlight bulbs in my room.  They save you money, and they're eco-friendly.  You can also try to get your friends and family to join in.  Maybe your school has an ecology club.  Mine does lol.

Answer 6

yeah make sure you turn off lights and stuff like that turn off the A/C at night and open windows if you can use organic things and convince your parents to buy organic foods and the closer the places that the foods were shipped from the more organic they will be

if you can ride your bike (or something else along that line) or walk if it is close instead of driving

jsut small things like that will help

Answer 7

A new idea I just heard about was that if you eat meat with your meals a lot, try eating a salad or spaghetti instead.

Apparently it costs a lot to raise cattle and uses a lot of gas and energy.

Answer 8

First of all, "going green" is just another topic that has been changed by the media into a trend. going green is a lame excuse to try to get everyone to follow.

sure, we don't want to worry about the environment. but the world is only like 6,000 years old.

so i wouldn't say pollute the air or anything, but don't fall for the pathetic act of global warming and going green.

Answer 9

My friend has really turned me onto this idea for recycling.  She started shopping at Goodwill for clothes and home accesories.  I have now started to frequent the stores too.  You can find ALL kinds of new clothes, accessories, fun stuff.  Many of the items even still have their original tags, never been worn.  I used to believe the stigma of "eww it's used, gross".  But like I said, much of the stuff has original tags, never been worn, and even if it has been worn, you can use your discretion on what you buy, and just wash it when you get home before you wear it.  For a young woman on my own, this can save me a ton of money rather than buying things new, plus I am helping the environment by preventing more new clothes being produced and the toxins being released into the environment from the manufacturing process as well as preventing these items from rotting in a landfill.  And for a teenager like yourself who I am sure has a limited budget, you can find really cool stuff and keep your wardrobe updated!  Plus places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army provide jobs and other services to those in need, and we are supporting our local economy.  Just a thought for everyone!  :-)

Answer 10

First of all, let me tell you how awesome it is for you to be so interested in this project, great job! Things you can do is ask your principal if you may set out recycling bins in your school, recycle on your own, organize a group of people to go out and pick up trash in your spare time. Just the simple things make a HUGE difference! GREAT JOB AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!  

Answer 11

Talk to your parents and school about big things that you can do to help the environment, things that you can do is re- use as much things as possible, walk to the shops instead of being driven by parents, compost, recycling and saving power, you could also get involved in community service where you could help clean up parks ect. There is heaps that you can do.