السياسات المناخية في تونس : ناجعة رغم ضعف الإمكانيات

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أصبح التغير المناخي حقيقة واقعة في تونس التي تعاني الأمرين  لمجابهة مشاكل  التصحر وندرة المياه وتدهور الموارد الطبيعية. وبالرغم من إسهامها المحدود في انبعاثات غازات الدفيئة على مستوى العالم، إلا أن أخطار التغير المناخي الواقعة عليها قد تكون عالية التأثير و هو ما يسيل الكثير من الحبر حول مدى نجاعة السياسات المناخية بتونس.

وضعت تونس، وهي رابع دولة عربية قدّمت مساهماتها المعتزمة المحددة وطنيا في مجال خفض الإنبعاثات من الغازات الدفيئة ، تغيّر المناخ في مرتبة متقدّمة على جدول أعمالها السياسي والاقتصادي باعتبارها  البلد الأول في المنطقة الذي ضمّن دستوره الوطني الجديد إقرارا بتغيّر المناخ تفرض من خلاله الدولة  الحق في “بيئة سليمة ومتوازنة والمساهمة في سلامة المناخ بكافة السبل المتاحة”. كما  كانت تونس من أوائل الدول التي صادقت على اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة بشأن تغير المناخ (UNFCCC) في سنة 1993 وبروتوكول كيوتو في سنة 2002. من ناحية أخرى ، إستفادت وزارة البيئة التونسيّة من تواجد فروع لمنظمات  تعنى بالجانب البيئي على أراضيها على غرار المنظمة الألمانية للتعاون الدولي (GIZ) و منظمة فريدريش إيبرت (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung) لإنشاء استراتيجية وطنية بشأن تغير المناخ (SNCC)، تأخذ في الاعتبار التحديات والاتجاهات الجديدة لتونس ما بعد الثورة.

كما تبدي تونس  نيّتها العمل بجد  لخفض كثافة انبعاثاتها الكربونية بنسبة 13 في المئة بحلول سنة 2030. هذا ومن المنتظر أن تزداد حصّة الطاقة المتجدّدة في إنتاج الكهرباء لديها إلى 14 في المئة بحلول سنة 2020، و30 في المئة بحلول سنة 2030. هذه المؤشرات الطموحة عزّزها تأكيد رئيس الحكومة يوسف الشاهد  خلال افتتاحه لندوة “تسريع تنفيذ برامج النجاعة الطاقية” يوم الخامس من أبريل نيسان الجاري بأن تونس مطالبة أكثر من أي وقت مضى بتنفيذ إستراتيجيات ناجعة للإنتقال الطاقي قائم على الطاقات المتجددة لبلوغ الأهداف الطاقية والمناخية المرسومة .

في سياق متصل، شرعت تونس منذ عدة سنوات في عملية حقيقية تقليص الاقتصاد القائم على الكربون في خطوة التخفيف من انبعاثات غازات الدفيئة . هذا الأمر تطلب حزمة من الإجراءات الاستباقية طويلة المدى في مجال التحكم في استخدام الطاقة ومع ذلك، هذه العملية تحتاج لمزيد التوطيد و التعزيز.

إلا أن عديد الإشكاليات تطفو على السطح  قد تهدد استدامة هذا التوجه، إذ تفتقر تونس للتمويل اللازم لتغيير نظم إنتاج الطاقة علاوة على غياب واضح للتوعية والإعلام والترشيد سواء لدى العامة أو لدى اصحاب القرار.

هذا الأمر، يجب أن يقابل بتطوير الخطاب الإتصالي للمنظمات البيئية المحلية والعالمية لاتخاذ إجراءات أكثر جرأة على هذا الصعيد. إن نشر المعلومة بشكل مبسط و سلس وتكوين الأطراف ذات الصلة بالشأن البيئي   تعتبر من الثوابت الرئيسية لتنفيذ استراتيجية طويلة المدى. لهذا الغرض، يجب أن تستهدف هذه الإجراءات أساسا  الجهات الفاعلة في الدولة ناهيك عن عامة الناس، أعضاء المجتمع المدني، وسائل الإعلام، الأكاديميين والباحثين وغيرهم وإنشاء قواعد بيانات كاملة عن البحوث والدراسات التي تجرى في تونس أو عنها في الخارج حول قضية تغير المناخ يتم تحديثها باستمرار. في هذا الإطار ، يجب إيلاء عناية خاصة بتوظيف الحلول الطبيعية سهلة التطبيق على غرار القيام بحملات تشجير بالمناطق الصحراوية و حماية التربة من الانجراف و حسن ادارة النفايات. خصوصا مع عدم آمتلاك تونس  للتقنية اللازمة لتطبيق الهندسة الجيولوجية ذات التكلفة العالية والنتائج غير المضمونة.

يُرتقَب أن يشكّل اتفاق باريس الأخير، مع مختلف الفرص المالية والتقنية التي يُتيحها، حافزا مهما لتونس كي تعزّز جهودها في مجابهة التغير المناخي  وهو ما يتطلب آلتفاف جميع الأطراف و تقديم خارطة طريق للتقليل من الانبعاثات وتزيد من مجهودات التكيف لأن إرساء منوال تنموي مستدام ينطلق من هناك.

Saudi Arabia’s Road to Fuel Economy

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Saudi Arabia is a private car-oriented society, and has one of the world’s highest per capita fuel consumption in the transportation sector. This is primarily due to lack of efficient public transportation and current fuel subsidy policy. The country is witnessing an escalating demand on its domestic energy needs and it is imperative on policymakers to devise policies for conservation of energy resources and reduction of GHGs emissions in the transportation sector. Adapting energy-efficient fuel standards will help Saudi Arabia country to bridge the gap with the developed countries. The enforcement mechanism for the establishment of Saudi fuel economy standards will lead to achievement of strategic energy conservation objectives.

Energy intensity in Saudi Arabia has set high records reflecting the growth of the economy and the increasing demand on fossil energy in the domestic use and heavy industries operations. Energy intensity in the Kingdom was twice the world average in 2010 and with unbalanced growth between energy use and economy, this should rang the bell for the Saudi government to adapt a bundle of energy policies that curtail the increasing growth of energy demand domestically.

CAFE Standards

Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency standard (CAFE) was first enacted after the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 in the USA. That policy was due to energy security concerns and environmental objectives. The USA current standard is 27.5 mpg for passenger’s vehicle and 20.7mpg for light trucks. Similarly to the USA CAFE objectives, the Kingdom approach is to reduce gasoline consumption and induce conservation and increasing efficiency of the light-duty vehicles (LDV).The proposed standard mandates require that all new and used passenger vehicles and light trucks either imported or locally manufacture should comply with new fuel standards. The framework for this law to be effective will start by January 1, 2016 and fully phased out by December 31, 2025. The Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) and other entities including the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, Saudi Customs, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry have been asked to monitor the implementation of the CAFE standards.

The purpose of the fuel standards is to commit the light-duty vehicle manufactures sell their cars in the kingdom and comply with the Saudi CAFE. This standard has a double dividends from the automobile manufacturer side its incentivize them to introduce the up-to-date efficiency technologies and cut the supply the low-efficient technologies to the Saudi market. The Saudi CAFE standard targets an improving in the overall fuel economy with an average of 4% annually. This would lift up the Kingdom’s fuel economy LDVs from its current level of 12 km per liter to 19 km per liter by 2025.

The Saudi CAFE standard shows a focused strategy to setting long-term standards over the course of a given time frame and its committed efforts to manage both newly imported or used LDVs. According to Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al-Saud, the Saudi transportation sector consumes about 23 percent of the total energy in the kingdom and about 12 million vehicles consume about 811,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel per day. Moreover, there are 7 LDVs entering the market every year with a forecast to reach 20 million by 2030.

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia’s CAFE standard is a means to stimulate energy efficiency and encourage resource conservation and contribute to the environment. This will enable consumers to save money, reduce fossil fuel consumption and strengthen the Kingdom’s role in the fight against climate change.

Gas Vs Electric Mowers: Are You Ready to Go Green?

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There are many factors to take into account when deciding whether to purchase an electric-powered lawn mower or a gas-powered lawn mower. Today there are more options than ever due to advances in technology in both gas motors and batteries. As you weigh your options you should consider the size of your lawn and how you wish to mow it.

compare electric vs gas lawn mower

Gas-powered mowers

Gas-powered motors have traditional gas engines that use gas tanks and oil reservoirs. When operating they produce carbon monoxide, also known as combustion exhaust, which is detrimental to the environment. Also, you have to make sure you have enough gas on hand and that it is the correct grade.

Electric-powered mowers

Electric mowers operate using the same concepts as gas mowers; however, their motors operate using batteries that are charged by connecting them to typical garage outlets, a process which is greener and cleaner. While this does give them many eco-friendly benefits, there are many other factors to consider.

Noise Pollution

Environmental pollution isn’t the only pollution to be considered when comparing gas-powered mowers to electric-powered mowers. There is also the matter of noise pollution to consider. Gas-powered lawn mowers are loud. Electric-powered mowers, on the other hand, purr like kittens by comparison.

You might want to take into account how close you are to your neighbors; or you might want to consider whether you or your neighbors have small children or pets that might be frightened by the sounds of a loud gas-motor. Check out Sydney lawn mowing if you are looking for a reputed lawn care professional.

Maintenance

While the battery used to operate an electric mower is a quieter and cleaner source of power, it does need maintenance. The battery’s posts need to be cleaned from time to time and the battery itself needs to be charged regularly, regardless of how often it is used.

Still, this is much less than the maintenance required for a gas-powered mower that needs to have spark plugs, filters, oil and other components regularly replaced.

Battery life vs Gas-power

How long will an electric-powered mower’s battery hold a charge if it is well maintained? For about an hour, which should be more than enough time to mow a small or mid-sized lawn. If you have a lawn that is larger than an acre, you might want to consider purchasing a riding lawn mower. At this time an electric-powered lawn mower will cost around twenty percent more than a gas-powered lawn mower of similar size, so for an electric-powered riding lawn mower you may be looking at several hundred dollars more than its gas-powered equivalent.

It is up to you, based on the size of your lawn and how often it needs mowed and the current price of gasoline, to do the math in order to determine whether an electric riding lawn mower is cost-effective.

Raw Power

Another point to take into account when considering gas vs electric mowers is that a battery’s charge will drain and so will the mowers power right along with it. In other words, a mower with a fully charged battery will be able to cut thicker grass than it will at a half or a quarter charge; whereas, a gas-powered mower will cut grass with consistent force whether it is fully gassed or it is running on fumes.

If the weight of the machine is an issue, you should know that electric powered mowers are much lighter than their gas-powered counterparts. This is due to the fact that gas-powered engines need metallic parts in order to function properly; while electrical engines can work just as well if certain metal parts are replaced with plastic parts. A lighter mower will be easier to push through well maintained lawns, yet harder to push through overgrown lawns.

Safety

Finally, there is the issue of safety. It takes a great amount of force to bust open a battery. All batteries, from the AAA you use in your television’s remote control to the car battery that can withstand a head-on collision, are designed to stay intact. As long as they do, they are completely safe.

Gas-powered engines, however, require gasoline and oil which are both flammable and combustible, not to mention toxic if inhaled or swallowed (again thinking of small children and pets).

Bottom Line

In conclusion, there are pros and cons to switching to electric and it is up to you to evaluate your individual needs and their requirements as to whether or not the switch is warranted. Remember, for smaller or mid-sized lawns electric mowers are an eco-friendly option; while commercial lawn mowing may benefit more from the power of a gas-powered mower. Whichever you choose, keep in mind that, due to technological advancements, both options offer an efficiency and an ease of use that surpasses mowers of yesterday.

Why Water Pollution Is a Major Worry in the USA: 4 Water Contamination Events and Their Effects

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According to a Gallup poll, the majority of Americans are deeply concerned about water pollution. 56% are concerned about drinking water quality and 53% are concerned about the water quality of rivers, reservoirs, and lakes.

Americans have cause for concern. Over the years, there have been multiple water contamination events in the US.

water pollution in USA

Why Water Pollution is a Major Worry in the USA

Water pollution in the US is actually a growing problem, though it has been a problem for a long time. In the nineteenth century, water quality was improved in many bodies of water thanks to new mining processes and mechanized agriculture.

However, with a lack of regulation, into the twentieth century, rapid urban growth and extensive industrialization resulted in discharges of toxic chemicals, sewage, and other pollutants that affected both surface water and groundwater.

Such problems were not addressed with any sense of urgency until the late twentieth century, and various water contamination events continued to occur.

These have left a lasting impact on ecosystems, water quality, and public health across the nation.

While the implementation of pollution prevention, control and treatment methods are now widely used throughout the country to help ensure water quality is at the safe level determined by federal and state regulations, many bodies of water throughout the US sadly violate those water quality standards.

Let’s take a look at four well-known water contamination events and see what their effects were.

1. The Woburn, Massachusetts Water Contamination

Between 1969 and 1979, industrial solvent polluted the river in Woburn, Massachusetts. The chemicals that contaminated the water were trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene.

Sadly, twelve children in the area who were exposed to the contaminated water developed leukemia and residents saw an increased risk of other types of cancer and birth defects.

2. The Flint Water Crisis

In recent years, there has been an ongoing drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The problem began when the water source was changed from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River.

The water has been contaminated with dangerous levels of lead as well as other pollutants. Tragically, that has left many local residents with health issues, including skin lesions, memory loss, vision loss, hair loss, and high lead levels in their blood.

3. The Camp Lejeune Water Contamination in the 1950s – 1980s

At the military base Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina, there was contamination of the water supply for more than three decades.

Between the 1950s and the 1980s, contaminants like trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene caused military personnel, their families, and civilians on the base to develop symptoms that may be an indication of contamination.

Indeed, the Camp Lejeune water contamination caused many people to develop a number of cancers, such as bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and breast cancer, and other health problems, including birth defects, miscarriages, and Parkinson’s disease.

The scandal has led to many lawsuits. In fact, lawsuits continue to this day

4. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

In 2010, the BP semi-submersible oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, saw an explosion that tragically killed eleven of the crew and displaced the rig from the well at the bottom of the sea. As a result, the oil in the well spread into the ocean.

deepwater horizon cleanup

Bioremediation is a popular method to treat oil spills in seas and on beaches.

Due to the difficulty in sending a probe over 5,000 feet beneath the surface, the well wasn’t capped for a further eighty-seven days, contaminating the water and causing untold damage to the sea life.

The oil spill, which happened in the Gulf of Mexico, saw 3.19 million barrels of oil spread into the ocean, and 1,000 miles of shoreline were impacted.

Trash Talk from Gaza

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gaza-garbageSolid waste management is considered to be one of the most severe environmental and civic problems in the Gaza Strip. Solid waste in the Gaza strip consists mainly of household waste, building debris, agricultural waste, industrial waste (mainly from worksites), medical wastes, and wastes from car workshops. Solid waste in the Gaza Strip is dumped in the same landfill without separation except for medical waste, which is dumped separately in the main Gaza landfill site. The solid waste generation rate varies between 0.35 to 1.0 kg/capita/day.

Scale of the Problem

Trash generation in the Gaza Strip varies between 830 to 894 tons/day in cities and villages and from 276 to 300 tons/day in the refugee camps. Local surveys and estimates indicate that household waste accounts for 45 to 50% of the total solid waste, construction and industrial wastes 22 to 25%, and the remaining types (e.g. commercial and institutional) 25 to 30%. Bad practices in the Gaza Strip with the absence of legislation and inspection mechanisms during the occupation resulted in inefficient and inconsistent waste collection services. On many occasions, waste is being dumped in open areas, in various places in the Gaza Strip. And to add fuel to the fire, present landfills in the Gaza Strip are overloaded. This represents a looming danger to the public health and the environment, and particularly to the ground water resources, which are already poor. Not only that but also, hazardous emissions, which are resulted from waste incineration, contain thousands of carbon tones (CO2 gas), causing the temperature to rise. Thus in turn, would be probably the cause of climate change.

Promising Initiative of AYCM Palestine

As regard with potential solutions, Governments and many NGO’s have tried to solve the problem as much as possible or at least alleviate the effects, which are resulted from it. As an example of these efforts, Natuf Organization for Environment & Community Development in partnership with Arab Youth Climate Movement “AYCM” – Palestine,  implemented “ Environmental Leaders toward a Sustainable Community” project which funded by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme through GEF. During this project, an environmental initiative titled “Separation and recycling of different waste materials into reusable objects” in cooperation with ‘Zero Waste MENA’ team in Gaza.

The initiative was carried out in Shalehat Resort located at the Gaza beach with the participation of vacationers. The main activities included a 10-day awareness campaign, which targeted more than 200 families (about 1,400 people overall) and focused on the impacts of solid waste as well as the importance of sorting and reuse. On the final day, children event with clowns and games was held in order to raise their interest in environmental issues and encourage them to become future environmental leaders.

Recycling-Gaza1In addition, this initiative aims to create a practical model for waste recycling in the Gaza Strip in order to promote the environmental and the general awareness among residents in Gaza. Such processes, as an illustration, contribute to reducing the consumption of fresh raw materials, energy usage, air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by decreasing the need for “conventional” waste disposal and lowering greenhouse gas emissions which are considered as the main cause of climate change. As a result, Recycling can be regarded as a good strategy for waste reduction and mitigation of the climate change impacts in the long term.

Conclusions

To conclude, Gaza Strip has encountered from many serious environmental issues, solid waste management, in particular. Such issues may pose detrimental threats to our environment as well as our health. Consequently, I deeply believe that all of us, governments and individuals, should be responsible and careful about our Earth as much as we can. We should work hard together in order to save the whole environment for all of us and for the future generation.

The Concept of Generalised Extended Producer Responsibility (GEPR)

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The notion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been part of the waste policy for a long time, particularly within the OECD countries. According to the OECD, EPR “aims to make producers responsible for the environmental impacts of their products throughout the product chain, from design to the post-consumer phase” [1]. EPR alleviates the burden of Public Administrations for managing end-of-life products, while -if properly designed- incentivising waste prevention and recycling.

Current Limitations of EPR

After years of implementation it can be argued that Extended Producer Responsibility has not in fact been so extended. Several limitations are common: a) producer responsibility organisations (PRO) managing the EPR do not assume the entire cost of managing the corresponding waste flows, and therefore Public Administrations (through taxes) continue to sustain part of the costs that should be borne by producers (and transferred into prices paid by consumers); b) Through their tariffs, PRO do not sufficiently incentivise recyclability and eco-design amongst individual producers; c) Insufficient transparency makes it difficult for Public Administrations to assess compliance; amongst others. [2]

However, a crucial limitation of EPR (even where this has been most developed) is that it is reduced to a very limited number of products. For example, within the European Union (EU), the application of EPR has only been made compulsory for waste from electric and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators, and end-of-life vehicles. For other waste streams, EU legislation includes a specific mention to the option for Member States (MS) to promote EPR, such as for packaging waste, and oils, but ultimately the adoption of EPR depends on national legislation. [3]

For most products, EPR simply does not exist. Producers are allowed to put any product on the market, no matter how difficult and costly to manage it is when it turns into waste. This is truly unacceptable.

In some cases, products without EPR are a significant percentage of waste generation, such as for the case of graphic paper, furniture or textiles. In some other cases, these products are not so relevant in weight, but very environmentally problematic and/or very costly to manage, such as: disposable nappies, sanitary pads, cleaning wipes, paint pots, chewing gum, mattresses, cigarette buds, etc. The list could be much longer.

Of course, one could favour the idea of extending EPR specifically to other waste streams, but it seems unlikely that a product-by-product approach manages to cover a broad range of products. In the EU, for example, the Circular Economy Package, which is the most comprehensive effort to update the EU waste legislation in years, includes provisions for the improvement of EPR, but no plans for its extension to additional waste streams.

The idea of this article is to suggest the implementation of the concept of Generalised Extended Producer Responsibility (GEPR), whereby ALL products put into the market -all of them likely to become waste at some point- would be subject to extended producer responsibility.

The Concept of Generalised EPR

Whereas in traditional EPR, there is one or more PRO for each specific waste stream, and producers have to contribute to these PRO, in Generalised Extended Producer Responsibility (GEPR), specific EPR schemes could continue to exist, and maybe a few more would be created, but there would be also general PRO for all those products with no specific EPR schemes:

Public administrations would need to define how the different products contribute to collection and treatment costs (including street cleaning, littering prevention and clean-ups, etc.), and allocate the costs to the different EPR/GEPR schemes. Ultimately only costs related to biowaste –as they derive from endosomatic consumption of energy– should be borne by public administrations and transferred to taxpayers; all other costs should be borne by PRO and transferred to producers, and from them to consumers.

Many details would need to be discussed (links among existing EPR and new GEPR schemes and the corresponding PRO, legal nature, compatibility with other existing or potential economic incentives, etc.).

Of course, implementation of GEPR would entail more paperwork and the need of additional data on impact and cost of the different waste streams. However, this would be less burdensome, faster and cheaper to regulate and monitor than the never ending process of creating one new EPR scheme after another. This would also ensure a consistent application of EPR across a range of different products, which is lacking amongst the different existing EPR schemes.

This approach would be useful in places where application of EPR schemes is already halfway (like in most OECD countries), but also in other geographical contexts, where EPR is not applied or only at a very initial stage.

All in all, GEPR could generalise incentives towards recyclability and cleaner production, particularly if some lessons are learned from past initiatives; and would suppose a much fairer distribution of costs, shifting them from Public Administrations to producers, and ultimately from taxpayers to consumers.

Note: The article has been adapted from https://ent.cat/cap-a-la-generalitzacio-de-la-responsabilitat-ampliada-del-productor-grap/?lang=en

References

[1] OECD (2006), Extended Producer Responsibility: Updated Guidance for Efficient Waste Management, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264256385-en

[2] Based on own experience, and on OECD (2016), Extended Producer Responsibility: Updated Guidance for Efficient Waste Management, OECD Publishing, Paris; and Zero Waste Europe –Fundació per a la Prevenció de Residus i el Consum Responsable (2015) Redesigning Producer Responsibility. A new EPR is needed for a circular economy.

https://www.zerowasteeurope.eu/downloads/redesigning-producer-responsibility-a-new-epr-is-needed-for-a-circular-economy

[3] Development of Guidance on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Final Report. European Commission – DG Environment. 2014.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/target_review/Guidance%20on%20EPR%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf

السلوك المستدام : مسؤولية اخلاقية

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الإستدامة البيئية يتفاعل الحديث عنها بدراية وبدون دراية، وصار الحديث بشأنها موضة العصر إذ أضحت محط حديث العارفين وغير العارفين بمعانيها وابعادها في منظومة الامن البيئي، و الإستدامة البيئية منتج فعلي للسلوك المستدام، وتمثل في بعدها ثقافة ومسؤولية قبل ان تكون إجراء قانوني واداري، برغم ان ذلك مطلب لتوفير القواعد المؤسسة لبناء نظام الحماية الكفيل بصون السلوك المستدام في العلاقة مع النظم البيئية.

sustainable-development-arab

وعندما نشير الى ذلك فإننا ننطلق من واقع مشاهد الخلل في عدم الالتزام بالقواعد القانونية والادارية الوطنية والاقليمية والدولية المنظمة للسلوك البشري مع النظم البيئية، إذ انه برغم وجود القواعد التشريعية والتعاقدية والتوافقية والعرفية نشهد اتساع رقعة الفجوة في عملية تطبيق القواعد والانظمة المعتمدة وطنيا واقليميا ودوليا، ويعزى ذلك الخلل في عملية الالتزام الى غياب المسؤولية الاخلاقية التي تمثل الضمير البيئي الانساني الغائب في حسابات قطاع كبير من المجتمع في بعده الشامل.

هنا يمكن القول ان غياب المسؤولية الاخلاقية تتسب في انعدام الضمير البيئي وذلك يمثل السبب المباشر في ما يشهده كوكبنا من دمار شامل الذي خرج من إطاره المناطقي والوطني والإقليمي متخذا مساره الشامل على مستوى المعمورة بفعل ما نشهده من ممارسات غير مسؤولة في احداث بؤر الحروب المدمرة للبيئات الطبيعية والانسان، وصناعة اسلحة الدمار الشامل، وادخال المواد الخطيرة في الاستخدامات المدنية، وتبني السياسات الصناعية ذات الاثار الكارثية على المحيط البيئي للانسان، والاستغلال الكارثي الجائر والجاني للموارد البيئية، ما يضع البشرية في بؤرة الخطر البيئي الذي يمثل مصدر التهديد الفعلي للامن البيئي للمجتمع البشرية.

لذلك بناء السلوك المستدام في حاجة الى ثورة في واقع القيم المجتمعية والاشتغال على اصلاح الضمير البيئي للانسان والارتقاء بوعيه المسؤول في جوانب ممارساته وإستراتيجياته الاقتصادية والصناعية المضرة بالامن البيئي، وتحجيم ثقافة الانانية في بعد مفهومها في تفضيل المصالح الذاتبة الضيقة على مصالح الحق الانساني، أخذا في الاعتبار ان ذلك النهج يؤسس للممارسات الخطيرة في آثارها على النظام البيئي الكوني، ويتسبب في الاخلال بمعايير الامن البيئي لكوكب الارض.

خلاصة القول ان بناء السلوك المستدام معادلة مرتبطة باصلاح الضمير وتعزيز قيم الاخلاق في مكون السلوك الانساني في بعده الشامل، وان ذلك الجهد مسؤولية مشتركة لقامات الفكر الاجتماعي والسياسي والديني والبيئي ومفكري العلوم الانسانية، وبدون توفر ذلك الجهد فان الحديث عن السلوك المستدام ضرب من الخيال.

Top Tips to Make the Most of Your Scrap Metal Recycling

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Scrap metal is a valuable commodity in high demand by small and large corporations. This is why many people have become interested in recycling scrap metal. It can be good for the environment because when the metals are recycled, they’re less likely to end up in landfills, thereby reducing environmental pollution.

Moreover, recycling scrap metal can help conserve energy used in manufacturing. Instead of making new metals from scratch, people and businesses can use recycled ones, reducing energy consumption and reliance on new resources.

Yet aside from the ones mentioned, scrap metal collection can be a great way to earn extra money, but the amount you can make will depend on the strategies you implement.

If you want to venture into the scrap metal recycling business, you can do a few things to increase your earnings.

scrap metal recycling tips

1. Know what kind of metal to collect

Knowing what types of metals are most valuable for scrap metal dealers like langleyrecyclingkc.com is the first step in scrap metal recycling. For example, ferrous metals, such as iron and steel, are typically worth less than non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, copper, and brass. Therefore, to get the most out of your scrap metal recycling efforts, focus on collecting non-ferrous metals.

2. Sort your metal by type and grade

Once you’ve collected a large amount of scrap metal, it’s time to sort it by type and grade. Most scrap yards will pay a higher price for metals sorted by type and grade because it saves them time and money. So, take the time to sort it into different piles according to type and grade.

3. Remove contaminants

Another tip for recycling scrap metal is to remove any contaminants before taking it to the scrapyard. Contaminants can include things like paint, oil, or dirt. These can decrease the value of your scrap metal, so it’s essential to remove them before taking it to be recycled.

Also, the selling process will be much easier and faster if you prepare and separate your scrap metals before going to the scrapyard.

4. Use a magnet to test metals

Using a magnet is one easy way to test whether a metal is ferrous or non-ferrous. If the metal is attracted to the magnet, it’s likely a ferrous metal and not as valuable. If the metal isn’t attracted to the magnet, it’s likely a non-ferrous metal and more valuable.

5. Know the scrap prices

Before taking your scrap metal to the scrapyard, it’s essential to know the current scrap prices. Scrap prices can fluctuate, so you’ll want to make sure you understand the current price of the metal you have before taking it to be recycled. You can find scrap prices online or by calling scrapyards in your area.

6. Find a reputable scrapyard

Finding a reputable scrapyard is crucial when you’re ready to recycle your scrap metal. Unfortunately, many scrapyards will try to lowball you on the price of your scrap metal. Some of them may not provide a clear answer to your questions. For example, they may not give you transparent responses about how they purchase scrap metals and the separation processes they require.

So, it’s vital to find a scrapyard that has a good reputation to avoid selling your scraps at an unreasonably low price. You can find reviews of scrapyards online or by asking people you know who have experience with scrap metal recycling. Check out their pricing to know how much they’ll buy your scrap metals. But you should understand too that the scrap prices shouldn’t be the only criteria for choosing a company specializing in scrap metal recycling. Consider other factors, such as their customer service and valuable years of experience in the market.

Lastly, a reliable scrapyard will not take advantage of you. Instead, they’ll appreciate your business and help you make the most money from the scrap metals you’re willing to sell. That’s why it’s important to wisely choose the one you want to work with.

scrap-metal-recycling

7. Get paid

Once you’ve negotiated a price for your scrap metal, it’s time to get paid. Most scrapyards will pay in cash, but some may also offer checks or other forms of payment.

Final thoughts

Recycling scrap metal can be a great way to earn extra cash. Furthermore, recycling metal helps to conserve natural resources and energy as mentioned earlier. To boot, extracting and refining metals is energy-intensive, so recycling scrap metal can help reduce environmental pollution. Finally, it’s satisfying to know you’re doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint.

What is the Most Suitable Renewable Energy for the UAE

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Renewable energy is a hot topic these days. You’ve probably heard of it, but you might not know exactly what it is. Renewable energy is energy that comes from resources that are naturally replenished over time. These resources include the sun, wind, water, and geothermal heat.

renewable energy in UAE

Renewable energy option for the UAE

Renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replenished and includes solar, wind, water, geothermal, and biomass. The UAE has been a global leader in the adoption of renewable energy technologies and is now looking to expand its renewable energy portfolio.

The most suitable type of renewable energy for the UAE is solar energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight into electrical energy, making them an ideal choice for the UAE’s arid climate. Solar thermal systems use mirrors to direct sunlight onto a receiver that heats up water or another fluid, which can then be used to generate power or heat.

Wind energy is also a viable option for the UAE. The Gulf region has some of the best wind resources in the world and there are already several large-scale wind projects in operation or under development. Wind turbines convert kinetic energy from the wind into electrical energy.

Water is another abundant resource in the UAE and geothermal power could provide a significant source of renewable energy. Geothermal power plants use the heat from the Earth’s core to generate electricity. Biomass, such as wood or agricultural waste, can also be used to generate power from renewables.

Renewable energy is a hot topic these days, and for good reason. Not only does it help the environment by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, but it can also save you money on your energy bill.

Existing renewable energy projects in the UAE

The UAE has been working diligently towards its goal of achieving renewable energy targets. There are a number of renewable energy projects that are already operational in the UAE. Some of these projects include the conversion of waste into energy, the use of nuclear energy and the development of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.

One of the most notable renewable energy projects in the UAE is the conversion of waste into energy. This project is being undertaken by a number of partner companies and is expected to help produce 7% of the UAE’s electricity needs by 2021.

Another notable project is the development of solar and wind power. The UAE has been investing in these types of renewable energy for some time now and they are expected to play a major role in meeting the country’s renewable energy targets.

The use of nuclear energy is also an important part of the UAE’s strategy for achieving renewable energy targets. The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is expected to come online in 2020 and will help diversify the UAE’s energy supply. Once completed, this plant will be one of the largest nuclear plants in the world.

These are just a few examples of the many renewable energy projects that are underway in the UAE. These projects represent an important step towards the UAE’s goal of becoming a global leader in renewable energy.

The future of renewables in the UAE

Dubai is leading the way in terms of renewable energy in the UAE, with a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 plans to invest $163 billion in renewable energy projects in order to diversify the energy mix and achieve 100% reliance on clean energy sources.

Some of the projects underway include the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the world’s largest single-site solar park. With a total investment of $2.05 billion, phase 5 of the solar park is 60% completed. In addition, Dubai is undertaking many other clean energy projects, such as the 5,000-megawatt Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

The Supreme Council of Energy also approved a regulatory framework for cooling service providers and customers to ensure the effectiveness of permit issuance and billing. This meeting also discussed the successful launch of Dewa-Sat 1, part of Dewa’s Space-D programme. Dewa is the first utility in the world to use satellites in its operations.

The Supreme Council of Energy meeting also reviewed participation in the fourth edition of the Emirates Energy Award, which highlights best practices in clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainability in the region. Dubai is taking full advantage of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies like IoT, artificial intelligence and blockchain to exchange information with help from satellite communications and earth observation technologies.

Joining other global efforts, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 is an ambitious plan to increase the share of clean and renewable energy sources in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Supreme Council of Energy met yesterday to approve the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2030, which will help reduce emissions by 30%. This meeting also saw the launch of Dewa-Sat 1, part of Dewa’s Space-D programme. Through initiatives like these, Dubai is taking advantage of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies like IoT, artificial intelligence and blockchain to improve its utility networks.

What is the best renewable energy for the UAE?

The UAE has made great strides in renewable energy in recent years, with a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Dubai is leading the way in this effort, with a number of ambitious projects underway.

renewable energy in UAE

Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources for the UAE. The country has Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, which is the world’s first zero-carbon city. The city is powered by a solar farm that covers two square kilometers. With abundance of sunlight solar is a clear option for the UAE to embrace, however one problem rather unique to the Middle East region is the very fine sand particles that are abundant in the air that can settle on the panels reduce the energy efficiency of solar panels, especially after any rain the fine particles stick to the panels.

While no clean energy is perfect and maintenance needs to be done, solar is a very exciting prospect already in place in the UAE and one that is set to expand further to drive the countries goals in renewable power.

تغير المناخ والخطاب الإسلامي و عهد جديد من الاستدامة

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تشير الاتجاهات البيئية العالمية إلى أننا نواجه مخاطر نقاط التحول والتغيرات الدائمة في البيئة وفي قدرتها على دعم وتعزيز حياة الإنسان في كل أبعادها.  هذه الحالة من عدم التوازن والتلوث، و التي یشار إليها في الإسلام بإسم "فساد"  تعزى إلى أفعال الإنسان. هذا و يشكل تحويل المجتمع واقتصاد العالم نحو الاستدامة أكبر تحد للعالم في القرن ال21.

من الملهم تسخير المعارف والثقافة المحلية للإبلاغ عن الاستدامة. فالإسلام بوصفه عالمى الانتشار ومنهاج للحياة، يمكنه أن يقدم نظرة مستقبلية جديدة لعلاقة الإنسان بالبيئة داخل اقتصاد السوق المعولم. البيئة والتنمية المستدامة هما عبارة عن أرضية محايدة للحوار بين الثقافات في الشرق والغرب،  وذلك على اعتبار أن علم البيئة يقوم على "الاعتماد المتبادل" و "التعلم الاجتماعي".

نموذج التنمية الإسلامي

لا تحدد النظرة السائدة الإسلامية مقومات "حياة طيبة" فحسب، بل أيضا يمكنها أن ترشد وتبلغ و تصلح نموذج التنمية الحالي. ويستند النموذج الإسلامي للتنمية على العيش على الأرض برفق  (الزهد) للحد من بصماتنا البيئية. ويمكن أن تضيف النظرة الإسلامية الإيمان والروحانية ، كبعد رابع ، إلى نموذج الاستدامة (البيئة والمجتمع والاقتصاد).  يعطي الخطاب الإسلامي شعورا بالأمل والتفاؤل بإمكانية إعادة ضبط بوصلة الإنسان: هناك أمل، إذا تمكن الإنسان من إعادة التفكير وإعادة ضبط نماذج التنمية السائدة، وأساليب الحياة والعقليات كما جاء في القرآن الكريم:

 « ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ » 

القرآن 30:41

و تتماشى ماهية الإسلام  بانسجام مع "الحالة الطبيعية" (الفطرة) واحترام التوازن (الميزان) واحترام النسبة (مقدار) في نظم الكون.  و يمكن لدمج هذه المفاهيم جميعها في نظام القيم الإسلامي أن يوفر البعد الأخلاقي للمسلمين في قضية تغير المناخ. و یترجم هذا إلى مصطلحات فنية لقياس تركيز الغازات في المناخ بأجزاء لكل مليون (جزء بالمليون). يدور النقاش بشأن المناخ حول الزيادة في تركيز أو نسبة غازات الاحتباس الحراري و التي يمكن قياسها بجزء بالمليون. نظرا لنموذج التنمية وأنماط استهلاك الإنسان، فإنا نشهد زيادة في تركيزات ثاني أكسيد الكربون بأكثر من 420 جزءًا بالمليون بالمقارنة مع مستويات ما قبل الثورة الصناعية و التي كانت تقدر ب 280 جزءًا بالمليون.

و بِالنّتِيجَة، التصدي لتغير المناخ، من منظور إسلامي ، هوعبارة عن افتراض دور الإنسان کوصي ومفوض (خليفة) ودوروسطية الأمة (أمة وسطا) في الأمر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر وضمان الانسجام والتوازن والنسبة الصحيحة (الفطرة). اختلال هذا الميزان  يعزى إلى اختيارات الإنسان التي أدت إلى الإفراط في الاستهلاك، والاستغلال واستخدام للموارد. البعد الأخلاقي للإسلام هو في ربط النظرية بالممارسة من خلال تطور الوعي الجديد والتطور الروحي. وتجسید الإسلام بدوره يؤدي إلى نشاط بيئي ينقذ سلامة الكوكب من خلال حفظ الحياة على الأرض، واحترام حقوق الأنواع الأخرى، وحماية تنوع جميع مجتمعات الحياة.

المناظرات بشأن تغير المناخ في عام 2015

خلال الإعداد  للمناظرات العالمية بشأن تغير المناخ  في عام 2015، وافقت الأطراف في الاتفاقية على تحديد 2 درجة مئوية كحد أقصى لارتفاع مقبول لدرجة الحرارة عن مستوى ما قبل الثورة الصناعية بحلول نهاية هذا القرن. وارتكز هذا القرارعلى حكم سياسي استنادا إلى معلومات علمية. هناك مخاطر كبيرة مرتبطة بأي مستوى من الاحترار و تدعو العديد من الأطراف إلى تثبيت هذه النسبة في أقل بكثير من2  درجة مئوية  بل تهدف إلى أن تكون أقرب إلى 1.5 درجة مئوية  قدر الإمكان.

العلم واضح في هذه المسألة ؛ لكون ارتفاع درجات الحرارة الناتج عن غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون استمر لعدة قرون، فإن أي حد أعلى بشأن ظاهرة الاحتباس يتطلب خفض صافي انبعاثات ثاني أكسيد الكربون في نهاية المطاف إلى الصفر. و بالنتيجة، فإن تجنب التغير المناخي  الخطير لايتطلب صقلا للنظم القائمة فحسب، بل تحولا اقتصاديا جذريا يقود إلى إزالة عميقة، وبعد ذلك بالكامل، للكربون من إمدادات الطاقة. و سيجلب هذا الانتقال عدة مزايا أخرى ويفتح آفاقا واسعة. وبالتالي سيتيح تلازما كاملا بين الضرورات الأخلاقية والاقتصادية.

و يهدف اجتماع باريس في عام 2015 إلى التعجيل بشكل كبير في هذا التحول والتأكد من استدامته على مر الزمن لضمان عدم تجاوز ارتفاع درجة الحرارة ب 2 درجة مئوية خلال هذا القرن. و ستيمخض عن ذلك الاجتماع، وضع صك قانوني جديد في إطار اتفاقية المناخ، والذي يعد بمثابة معاهدة دولية ذات عضوية عالمية، ليدخل حيز التنفيذ في عام 2020.

أهمية الإعلان الإسلامي بشأن تغير المناخ

للحفاظ على التحول الاقتصادي مع مرور الوقت، هناك حاجة إلى الدافع المعنوي القوي والعميق للتغيير. لذا فالدين يمكن أن يصبح جزءا مهما من الحل إذا استثمرنا هذا المصدر من مصادر التوجيه الإلهي من خلال الدراسة والتأمل وإذا كان هذا يدفعنا للتعامل بشكل مختلف. الإعلان الإسلامي بشأن تغير المناخ، و الذي أطلق في اسطنبول يوم ال19 أغسطس 2015، يعد بمثابة مثال بليغ يجسد دورالإيمان في الإبلاغ وإصلاح الحوار حول الاستدامة. وهذا من شأنه أن يجعل من الالتزام تجاه المناخ القائم على العقيدة ضرورة، بالنظر إلى أن 84٪ من سكان العالم منتسبون دينيا، وفقا لمركز بيو للأبحاث.

لقد كان الإسلام قوة دفع للحضارة عبر التاريخ. و يمكن للإعلان أن يساعد على توجيه القوة الروحية والأخلاقية للإسلام نحو التطلع إلى مستقبل مرن بمناخ ذي انبعاثات منخفضة.

وخلاصة القول، يقدر المعتنقون للديانة الإسلامية  ب 1.6 مليار نسمة. أكثرهم، وربما أغلبهم، يستوطنون البلدان التي هي الأكثر تأثرا بتغير المناخ. لهذا يمكن أن تسهم القيادة الإسلامية  في الخطاب العالمي كما تجلى ذلك بوضوح في الإعلان الإسلامي لتغير المناخ. لدى المسلمين تكليف ومسؤولية لتوجيه القوة الروحية والأخلاقية للإسلام نحو التطلع إلى بناء الحضارة البشرية المستدامة ومستقبل مرن  بمناخ منخفض الانبعاثات.

 

ترجمة

هند سلامة، حاصلة على شهادة الدكتوراة تخصص الكيمياءـ البيئة من كلية العلوم عين الشق جامعة الحسن الثاني ـ المغرب، عملت كمديرة مشاريع في عدة مؤسسات و أعمل حاليا كمستشارة مستقلة في مجال البيئة و التنمية المستدامة و مترجمة  ، هذا عدا عن مساهماتي في البرنامج التطوعي للأمم المتحدة  UNVو متطوعة أيضا مع EcoMENA

How Education Can Help in Tackling Global Warming?

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Climate scientists are sure that humankind contributed to Global Warming. Increase in temperatures create a potential for rising sea level and reducing land surface on which people can live, undermining water and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, and human health. Struggle for resources is likely to provoke armed conflicts and mass migration. Since this problem is aggravating very rapidly, actions should be taken to prevent or at least slow down further climate change and adapt to its effects.

Local responses proved to be ineffective. Therefore, states should develop a complex of behavioral, institutional and technological approaches, mix different strategies, combine policies, involve all actors from individual citizens to international institutions in a well-organized campaign against Global Warming. Governmental plans are fundamental, but the everyday behavior of all society members is also of great importance. That is why changes should be introduced at all levels.

People are often unaware about the issue, believe that it is not so important, that the state should solve all global problems or that risks will manifest themselves after hundreds of years when new generations will replace current ones.

Also, taking into account the controversial nature of media content, citizens do not understand which facts are true and false, how they should behave to preserve nature. Bloggers, researchers, and journalists promote different ideas. Some of them claim that climate change is just a myth, while others are sure that threats are quite real and the land surface may be covered with water in a dozen years.

People need some reliable information center which would provide them with the latest news and effective instructions. Experts from Pro-Papers are sure that the educational system quite can perform these functions.

Educating responsible citizens

Schools and universities are places where people not only study different majors but also learn to live in the modern world. According to alchemy tuition, the knowledge of ways to stop climate change is no less important than writing, reading and counting skills. Young people should find out how to become worthy sons and daughters of the Earth and not just good engineers, accountants or lawyers.

After mastering basics in a primary school, students develop such high-level skills as categorization, induction, and deduction. Educators not only provide information but also teach children to think logically, distinguish cause and effect connections, and solve problems.

Researchers claim that educated individuals better assess risks and make more correct decisions. Therefore, schools and universities should raise people not just living for today but thinking about the future, undertaking responsibility for all their choices and actions, in particular, those related to Global Warming.

Raising preparedness

Academic life teaches young people to plan their actions. Statistics show that educated citizens are more patient and goal-oriented, dispose of finances and time wisely, understand that certain actions have to be done, even if results will be assessed only by future generations. Their forward-looking worldview should increase the effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation approaches.

environmental-education-arabic

Educational institutions should ensure that graduates are ready for disasters and have all necessary knowledge to save their lives, can distinguish threats before they gain dangerous scale, instill the habit to prevent problems rather than suffer from consequences.

Access to resources

In addition to direct impact, an academic background may protect graduates from the effects of climate change indirectly. As a rule, people with a degree have higher social status and income level, which provides access to such resources as disaster insurance, quality houses in low-risk zones, and renewable energy sources used at home.

One more resource of great importance is information. Since young people get accustomed to processing large data volumes during their student period, it is much easier for them to find the necessary facts and instructions, make well-informed decisions. This refers not only to warnings and weather forecasts but also accessing a general environmental situation, drawing conclusions on complex issues.

Less educated people usually do not care about reducing emissions, changing their habits, consuming climate-friendly food, and using fuel-efficient cars. Teachers should emphasize the importance of all these things since the earliest grades, explain how nature-preserving behavior can change the world for better. Then our planet will have a strong social capital. People will have the motivation to be cautious and not ignore news about Global Warming like artificial hype.

Apart from in-class discussions, academic communities may inform students about climate change in social networks and at youth events. Multiple information channels ensure that important things will be heard and considered, more people will accept the ideas of sustainable consumption and lifestyle.

Parting Shot

Despite the above benefits, education is still not considered as a fundamental way to address the Global Warming problem, which means there is much work to be done. Joint efforts of the government and representatives of the scientific world are sure to bring good results.

4 Ways For Students To Save The Environment

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One of your jobs as a student is to be informed and updated with what’s happening in the world. One of the biggest issues the world has in the 21st century is pollution. Oceans are full of plastic. Because of global warming forests in Siberia and the Amazon are burning to ash. These are just a few signs that prove that the status of the environment is not a good one.

education-for-sustainable-development

The young generation has to protect what others could not. Fighting for a cleaner planet and a better world has never been so urgent like nowadays. If you’ve ever wondered how to help the environment, let’s see how a normal student can make a difference!

1. At home

Where you live as a student: the dorm, you still live with your parents or you’ve rented a flat with your friends you have to know that the change starts with you and your way of living. The solution is not a difficult one: reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduce what you’re consuming, reuse what you’re throwing away and recycle what you have to throw away.

Another thing you can do at home is to buy a filter for your tap water. Most of the cities around the world do not have drinkable tap water anymore because of pollution. A simple solution is to buy a water filter that improves the quality of the water you have at home already. This way you don’t use plastic containers for your bottles of water, keeping the ocean cleaner this way and the trash away from those amazing Australian beaches. So you save water for people who actually need to buy it from the store.

2. On the way to school

Needing a means of transportation is not something you can run away from. Of course, we encourage you to walk or cycle to where you have to get, but if that distance is a larger one you can get a bus and share this way the mean of transportation with other people.

Something cool that’s been trending for the past years is the electric scooter. Getting a small scooter that you can store in the back of your class or near your desk is a practical way to get from point A to point B. Charging it at home, it usually gives you power for 20 km at least. Plus, they’re mixing the saving of the planet with lots of fun, from my experience.

Not all electric scooter models are ideal for kids. Some are too heavy or too fast, so getting something that suits the age of your kid is important. Eridehero has an excellent guide on that.

3. At school

Once you get to where your eco-friendly means of transportation take you, you still have to behave accordingly to your goal of saving the planet. When you prepare for the next day at school you can cook your lunch at home and take it with you in a reusable container that you’ll wash after you finish eating. This way you save the planet from having to decompose another plastic wrap of a school sandwich. Don’t buy a bottle of water from school. Take one from home and take with you some of that home filtered water from your brand-new water filter.

Try using pencils instead of pens. They’re made out of wood and they’re recyclable. You can also buy notebooks made out of recycled paper. They’re not as shiny as the other ones but they keep your conscious and your planet cleaner. Don’t throw your notes away after you finish that year. There are people who consider to buy essay online and so you can reuse the paper and the knowledge.

Power down your laptop when you’re taking a break. Every watt you consume at home or at school is produced most likely in a power facility that in a way or another pollutes the environment. Try helping out with that too.

4. Having fun

Something most people don’t consider is that you can be friendly with the environment while having fun too. If you’re in a helping mood try volunteering to associations that clean the oceans or the forests. Avoid plastic straws as much as you can as those little plastic nightmares are impossible to recycle!

Final Thoughts

It’s up to us! If we fight for our planet, we’ll keep it! Everything starts in your own mind and in your own home. Reduce as much as you can, reuse everything that can be reusable and recycle with care. Go to school as eco-friendly as you can. Take a bus, walk, cycle or get one of those really fun to ride electric scooters or skateboards if that’s what you’re into. At school do everything you’re doing at home. Think twice about throwing away a piece of paper because it always has two sides.

Starting to believe in something is the first step to making it real. So let’s start believing in ourselves and in our planet!