Olympians go green

Think before you throw. Recycle.

The opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics was held at the auspicious moment of eight o’clock on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008. It is “the most spectacular Olympics Opening Ceremony ever produced”.

At the same time, the Coca-Cola Company has done a good job when they came with the great idea in promoting the green earth campaign during the Olympic Games. The campaigns would encourage everyone to act responsibly towards improving and maintaining the environment. Actually, no matter where we are and what we do, we should concern of our environment. We should know that one of the action taken with environment to keep it save for the future generations. Our environment greatly affected by each individual’s contribution.

The company was promoting recycling that is so important in the effort to preserve environment for future generations. Recycling involves processing used materials into new product. Many different materials can be recycled such as plastic, paper, glass, textiles, batteries, clothing, and ferrous and non-ferrous metals. However each type requires a different technique.

Nowadays, we are running out of places to operate as a landfill. Some might say that their countries have enough land for their own waste and do not care with rest of the world. How about the small countries? Where are they going to put their wastes? The simple way is recycling, one way to reduce amount of waste that is landfilled. Besides, the cost of waste disposal can be reduced by recycling. The less waste is landfilled, the low cost for the landfill.

When people recycle, they will see how simple and easy it is. Also, what a difference it makes. Air and water pollution can be reduced by recycling. We also can save more energy by recycling because making a product from recycled materials will takes less energy compared than make it from new raw materials. This would help slow down global climate change.

In this case, for aluminum cans which is 95 percent of air and water pollution, and energy can be minimized by using aluminum scrap instead of bauxite ore to make new aluminum products. So, start recycles those aluminum cans.

Our natural resources such as plants and minerals are running low. We must take an action to save them and the Earth from ruin. We will conserve natural resources by using materials more than once. For example, recycling paper will save trees and water.

There are over 1000 recycling bins and 65 centres nationwide. So, people no need to worry to manage their recyclable items. However, the problem may arise to the people who live in rural areas where less recycling bins provided. The local authorities should play their roles to make the recycling campaigns become successful. Use the three R’s and collection sites to take care of our health and our environment.

“People have to be able to work together if they are to realize the
shared destiny and to preserve a habitable environment for generations to come".

Albert Bandura, 1995.

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Ice Free (Comment-1)

The current issues of sustainable development affecting the world are global warming, poverty and biodiversity among them. So, for the first topic in my first blog, I chose the article related to global warming. Well, the topic is very common one and perhaps become number 1 issue for the 2008 and past several years.

Some people see the global warming is just hypothetical but I believe that the global warming is happening. From the previous reading, the phenomenon of global warming has been proven. The clearest problem that noted by the scientists was rising temperatures would surely melt the glaciers, raising the sea level and flooding the coastal areas.

In my observation, many kinds damage were already beginning to appear. The Hurricane Katrina in the United States of America, Typhoon Durian in Philippines and the Indian Ocean Tsunami have seen many people killed, affected and losses in economic.

On the one hand, the frozen island’s residents in Greenland will get the benefits from the early stages of climate change. There are some positives aspects to the ice melting. Now, the ships could use the Northwest Passage by no longer having to travel through the Panama Canal or around Cape Horn (save time and energy). The return of warm-water cod (makes fishermen happy) and they can produce the crops, which never been expected a few years earlier.

Also, with the barrels of undiscovered oil and gas, lead, zinc, gold and diamond will make a profit. However, this profit will be temporary, as time goes on, the production will finish later.
(Mans can be so greedy. Just become aware that your thoughts and actions affect the world and then become aware that you can learn how to take control of those thoughts).

On the other hand, global warming threatens future economic development and well-being of large numbers of human beings. The raising of sea level has submerged the coastlines where many millions of people now live. The people in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China were already seen the effects. In this case, global warming is likely to burden the poor countries and will affect rich countries too. Unfortunately, both countries have to cover the costs of the damage.

Many of species have been lost through the disturbance. Then, gave a critical effect on the food supply for both humans and other organisms. Finally, the degradation of ecosystems will threat to human health and mortality will rise.

How to mitigate the global warming? Here is the most critical part. To reduce any risks and to mitigate any impacts, the management tools such as environmental evaluation and risk assessment can be applied. Well, good practices in environmental management will go a long way in reducing our vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters.

There are certain things that we can’t control but there are those that we can. No matter what others do for our planet, we can start by protecting it ourselves. We can start with our own homes. I keep on telling my family to recycle what can be recycled, do not throw garbage everywhere and educate them about open burning. Sometimes, burning the thrash and yard waste is like a habit for most live in rural areas.

p/s:my mom will do the same thing when nobody want to send the garbages to the garbage container.

I hope that more people will, more and more, overwhelmingly support legislation and others action to reduce the carbon emissions and tackle other environmental problems.

'Do it loudly, proudly, sincerely'

It still ok to write if we don't use too much paper and chop down too many trees. Go paper-less and save the environment.

'SAVE OUR TREES'