I. The Role of the Community and its People.
II. Realistics. Education. Change.
III. A Quick Note About Compact Fluorescent Lights.


I. The Role of the Community and its People.
Although I may be young, I can certainly tell when there's a problem, and I fully acknowledge that as a community, we do bear a list of goals and priorities (with some that are obviously viewed as more important than others). Though I agree with how we handle a majority of these situations, I feel as though our city has overlooked one important issue; the issue in question of course being the physical well-being of our environment. Now I don't mean to come off as critical to the attitudes of our community, but as a student that takes the walk to school every morning, I cannot help but comment on the mass amounts of trash and garbage I pass and, in my opinion, this factor can't help but present a depressing perspective of the actions of our community.
But next, I will admit that though this isn't a huge dilemma in all the areas, it is a dilemma in many. So I pose: "Why have we yet to do anything about this?" Is our strategy but to wait until it's a problem everywhere? What will it take for the people to open their eyes and see that (in a microcosm) that this is truly our home, and like any home, it is one that needs to be taken care of?
With these questions in mind, I believe it to be wrong for our society to carry on with this uncared attitude and I firmly believe I know what it takes to change this de facto attitude, and that one thing is, without a doubt, unity.
What I am trying to say is that it is time for the men, women, and children of our community to organize. For from what I have observed, cleaning the community should be something that isn't only done for another Earth Day event*, it's something that needs to be done often. This is a growing issue, and now is without a doubt the time for action, and though I believe we as a community hold the power, I think it's truly up to the youth. It's time to get the youth involved to right the wrongs of the past for the sake of the present and future generations.

*What really is Earth Day? Is it not just another over-commercialized (is it even commercialized at all?) holiday that's very similar to Valentines Day only in the sense that it's around to make its celebrators/users feel better about themselves? In my eyes, I view Earth Day very similar to a "Self-Gratification Day" in the sense that by going out once a year and picking up three Mountain Dew bottles will not only "save the planet" but "put an end to everything that is bad in the world". If anything, shouldn't Earth Day be a reminder as to why we've developed the habit of taking care of our community?


II. Realistics. Education. Change.
As a lone individual there is very little one could do so as to obtain a recognizable effect on the environment, though the actions of one man are important--sometimes they may not be enough. One man as an individual, unless in politics or on the high-end of public image, will have little to no voice as to how we as a whole can reduce our carbon emissions to help our environment. Regulating ones own personal use of fossil fuels is not nearly enough to reverse what has already been done, in a sense it's comparable to a surreal situation in which if the world were in Anarchy, only ones personal belief of law would not hold up enough for a reform against the consensus.
Though as a lone individual it must be understood that there is also still the power of individual voice and moral in which there exists the belief of what is "right" and which therefore is perhaps the most ethical action for a society to act upon. Which all in all is that of which appears the most "just" in our quest for self-gratification. Now assuming the definition of "just" in this writing as comparable to the definition by Socrates; that "just" is nothing more than doing that of which one is most suited for, in which to simply do ones own business and to not necessarily be "a busy-body". Then with that it should be ones own duty and "just" so as to do that of which is considered consensually "right".
And what I find as "right" in this specific situation is the idea that it is my duty to educate myself and others on this worldly crisis. That I find it my duty to educate my peers on how possible reform can be obtained, and that it is for our benefit it be obtained. The idea is that this would not be a strategem used to set out and forcefully change minds through irrational fear, or "eco-terrorism", but as to peacefully influence minds on an issue that one may not be familiar with.
But through what content could we generally use as an overall message? We could use the education of bills and ideas running through the veins of our government, the exact actions our current administration has (and has not) taken; I, as one, can take the time to educate as to what is happening to our planet, how other areas are dealing with this, and why this is a serious situation which requires the attention and cooperation of our entire population. One person has the power to keep the idea in the minds of the people.
I firmly believe that within my immediate power, I feel as though this (obviously aside from personally reducing my own intake and use of fossil fuels) is what I can do as an individual to help solve this dilemma. Education and discussion is truly the key to hopes that others will also take a stand to help treat global warming. So to say, we can each help contribute to the basis of change.
Next, aside from our individual selves, there is the option of working as a school or full community. But in regards to school activity, I'd like to elaborate that this may be a situation in which the youths voices can go unheard due to not only their lack of "documented credentials" but also societies downsizing of those that are labeled as "ignorant and under-educated". Because of this setback, ones only hope is to still stand together with others of the same mindset. I mean, aside from writing a congressman in high hopes to have ones own pleas heard, the only thing one could do in a realistic sense would be to attempt an influence on the community. (Since our communities are practically microcosms to our world's society). Then in a process of time and patience, one would have to acknowledge that as a community one would still be making minimal (if any) mass change to the world as a whole. One should not truly expect to be the next posterchild of environmental conservation, but should simply embrace the identity of being a valued brick-layer for future political change, for how else would cultural revolutions occur without the basic foundations to build-upon?
So in conclusion, the many issues that are arising in regard to our planet, whether it's the destruction of our environment through industry or global warming, these are issues that need to be taken seriously. This is truly an era in mankind's history that will test not only our ethics and morals, but our brotherhood and views of co-existence with nature. This is not a matter of doing what is in best interest for immediate convenience, but is the matter of doing what one personally believes to be right, which should be the goal of anyone. Action certainly needs to be taken to fix this problem, for we have left the age of prevention and are in transition to an age of reaction to consequence.
It must be heard that society does not control the people, the people control society, and the most powerful weapon the people bear is the power of voice. We do not need to tolerate unjustified answers, for we the people hold the voice, and so therefore hold the power for reform.

III. A Quick Note About Compact Fluorescent Lights.


Though this is only one of the many ways, it should be taken into consideration that through the use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL's), as compared to the less energy-efficient Incandescent Bulbs, one person can do their own part in reducing carbon emissions. Though it may not seem like much in the moment, converting even one single incandescent bulb within your house into a CFL is a healthy step towards constructing a stronger and healthier community. Not only will this conversion save you money, but in the long run it will also reduce the size of your carbon footprint (your personal contribution to carbon emissions).

What are CFL's?:
Compact Fluorescent Lamps is a form of fluorescent lighting that is much more compact and will fit in most common-house lighting sockets. The science behind the fluorescent aspect of the bulb is that it is a gas-discharge lamp that uses minimal amounts of electricity to excite a small amount of mercury vapor within its glass shell, this process produces a short-wave ultraviolet light, which in turn causes a phosphor in the bulb to emit visible light. What attributes to the bulb's energy saving property is that because it does not heat a coiled filament, it does not release as much heat. Typically, incandescent light bulbs lose 90% of their energy simply producing heat (which is wasted)

Why should I invest in CFL's?:
*On average, a CFL consumes 65%-75% less energy than Incandescent light bulbs.

*For every kilowatt hour of energy that is generated through a coal power plant, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 1.43 lbs of greenhouse gases are released.

*According to the government, a single CFL can save its user an average of $30 in electricity costs over the bulbs lifetime. If every American household replaced only ONE incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, this would not only eliminate the equivalent of carbon emissions released by one million cars, but would also save the American public up to $8 billion dollars anually.

How to dispose of the bulb:
Although CFL's do contain trace amounts of mercury, the amount contained in each bulb is still less than the amount of mercury released by a single coal burning plant when it powers one incandescent light bulb. CFL's also have a life span between 8,000-15,000 hours, while incandescent bulbs only have a life of 750-1,000 hours. (Which means one CFL has the potential to out last 8-15 incandescents!).
But on the event a bulb (any bulb) burns out in your possession, so as to prevent mercury pollution, it's recommended that the bulb be returned to the store of purchase (most hardware stores will take them), or to the local recycling facility so they may be disposed of properly.