Living green

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Ben Johnson

Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I do a lot of walking on campus and lately I’ve been seeing an increase in the amount of trash on the ground. Some of us worry about the future of the planet and how things are going with the eco-system and as for the rest of you, you’re probably standing there wondering “what can I do to help the environment?”

Right now, most experts are focused on lowering the carbon effect and looking at everything from a massive industrial point. When you hear about all the government and experts are trying to do to help, it makes you feel pretty small. But all you should worry about is your own footprints.

What I mean is, just worry about you. No, not in a selfish way, worry about your trash at home and at the mall or where you shop. Wal-Mart has a recycling bin in the front entrance where you can take your old plastic bags and they’ll do the rest.

I know we can’t always make a run to a recycling bin or station, but think about a few things, like most small shops will ask you “do you need a bag for this?” when all you may have is one item that you could put in your purse or just carry it to your car.

One thing I’ve done the past couple of years is park my car in one spot and walk to all my classes. By doing this, one saves time getting to class instead of fighting over parking spots, you can lose that little extra fat that your body has stored up for energy, and you can save money on gas in the long haul.

Just by doing a few simple things like this, you can help the Earth relax a little and then you can try to tackle the big things later on. It helps you and the environment. Imagine that.