I’m going to talk about “going green!”

“Going green” is not wearing green clothes! It is the idea that we should treat Mother Earth with respect and love. Mother Earth has a limited amount of resources. If we are not careful, our grandchildren and their grandchildren will grow up in a polluted environment. Forests will be gone because we’ve cut them down. Animals will be extinct because we’ve destroyed their homes. Pollution will make it hard to breathe in Taipei. Water will not be drinkable because of chemicals.

There is still hope for our future generations. There are things that everyone can easily do. I believe that saving the world begins with all of us.

Using three simple words I can sum up exactly how everyone is capable of saving Mother Earth.

These words are reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Reduce the amount of waste you produce. Instead of driving everywhere, take public transportation or walk to your destination. This way, you will waste less gas. There are also easy ways to waste less water. Take showers instead of baths. Use a cup when you brush your teeth instead of leaving the water running. It is important to fix leaky faucets to save water. To save electricity, turn off lights when you leave your room. You can also buy energy efficient light bulbs that use less electricity. Unplug unused electronic chargers because it still uses electricity. Eat more vegetables instead of meat. Raising animals produces more waste than growing produce.

Reuse is a very simple concept. Before throwing things out, find ways to use them again. Bring reusable shopping bags when you go shopping. When you buy a drink at the coffee shop, you can bring your own mug instead of using a disposable cup. When I go to school, I always bring my water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Share toys, clothes, CDs, and books among your friends instead buying new ones. Reuse paper by writing and printing on both sides. Don’t use paper towels or napkins to wipe or clean. Instead, use cloth napkins or towels that can be washed and reused.

The final way to save the earth is recycle! Separate your trash so that some of the materials can be re-made into new products. Plastics, papers, clothes, metals can all be recycled. A landfill is where people bury trash. Once a landfill is filled, a new landfill is dug to make room for more trash. Recycling will create less trash in the landfills so Mother Earth stays clean.

I hope I have given everyone some ideas where we can all start “going green!” .