Brushing our teeth with the tap running, drinking bottled water, or throwing gum on the floor. These and other daily actions show that, sometimes, we are not aware of how we pollute the environment. According to Joseph Haymore from Florida, discover those little daily habits that you should avoid for the good of the planet.
Until recently we believed that nature, in addition to being wise, was indestructible. We believed it capable of overcoming earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciations and meteorites as destructive as 10 billion atomic bombs. However, the images of an Earth that in the 21st century drowns in plastic oceans, melt at the poles and transforms its forests into deserts have left us in evidence: the planet looks into the abyss and we with it.
10 Daily Activities That Pollute By Joseph Haymore
Global warming is the fault of each and every one of us. On numerous occasions, we use things that contaminate the environment without knowing it and that we should avoid at all costs. For instance:
Using Aerosol Deodorants
Sprays damage air quality, although, according to the scientific journal Nature Communications in 2018, their effects on temperature vary depending on the area of the world where they are used.
Drinking Water In A Plastic Bottle
According to Joseph Haymore, who belongs from Florida, these types of containers take 500 years to decompose and release microparticles that are harmful to health.
Throwing Chewing Gum On The Ground
Chewing gum is mainly made of neutral plastic and, in addition to dirtying the streets, it can suffocate many birds if they mistake it for food.
Cleaning Ourselves Without Turning Off The Tap
North Carolina State University (USA) estimates that we could save more than 1,400 liters of water per person per month just by turning off the tap by washing our hands and teeth.
Consume Food With Palm Oil
The huge intensive plantations dedicated to obtaining this ingredient contribute to the deforestation of tropical forests.
Leaving Cigarette Butts On The Beach
They occupy the first place in the ranking of the most numerous waste on the coast, take up to 10 years to degrade and release polluting metals.
Flushing Disposable Wipes In The Toilet
These products do not dissolve like toilet paper and cause the vast majority of clogs in sewage and treatment plants.
Releasing A Helium Balloon Into The Air
It is more dangerous for birds, fish and other marine animals that can suffocate if swallowed by mistake.
Throwing Batteries Into The Trash They
contain mercury – one of the most toxic metals in the world -, they take between 500 and 1,000 years to disappear and a single of these batteries can contaminate up to 3,000 liters of water.
Pull The Mesh Out Of The Packs Without Cutting Them
These plastic rings trap animals such as fish and turtles, causing them to be mutilated, malformed or even killed.
Alternatives To Care For The Environment
Once we are aware of how we pollute the environment, we must find solutions and change our habits. These are some of the proposals of the United Nations (UN):
Separate the garbage: do not mix waste at home and make sure to use the different containers for recycling correctly.
Recycle and reuse: forgo single-use plastics and always use containers and items that you can use multiple times. Before throwing something away, think about whether you can give it a second chance.
Save energy: take advantage of natural light, use LED bulbs, do not turn on lights that you do not need, regulate the thermostat of the heating and air conditioning, etc,
Human Impact On The Environmental
Joseph Haymore Florida, is a founder and Principal of Ecological Design & Project management practice Zingspace. According to his study, the damage would be so devastating that the Earth would need 3 to 5 million years to recover from the sixth mass extinction in history – the first caused by man – as claimed in 2018 by a study by the University of Aarhus in Denmark. The effects of urbanization, agriculture and industrial livestock, forest clearing, and CO 2 emissions, among other actions, accelerate the loss of biodiversity due to global warming, desertification or the pollution of oceans and rivers.