Page 12 - Trashing the Planet: Examining Our Global Garbage Glut

The photograph Blue
Marble, taken by a
satellite in 2012, shows
the marvelous beauty of
Earth’s oceans, lands, and
cloud-filled skies. Earth is
the only planet in our solar
system known to support
life. If we continue to trash
our planet, it may no longer
be able to sustain life.

leaky landfills, plastic in the ocean, or toxic and nuclear waste, cleaning up
Earth is one of the most important tasks we face.
YOUTH LEAD THE WAY

While the situation might seem hopeless, young people across the globe are
seeking solutions to the problems of mountains of trash and hazardous waste.
The first step in finding answers to these troublesome problems is to become
informed and to explain the issues to others, especially parents and family.
After all, the habits of individual consumers cause most trash problems. If
millions of people convinced their family members to buy less stuff and to
properly recycle what they did buy, they could make a huge dent in the trash
problem. Bringing cloth grocery bags to the store and reusable containers to
restaurants for leftovers can also make a difference, as can avoiding processed
food wrapped in plastic packaging. If more people cooked meals from
fruits and vegetables grown in home gardens, we could keep landfills from
overflowing with plastic containers while slowing climate change.
Concerned citizens can raise their voices through organizations
working to stop the trashing of Planet Earth. The Ocean Conservancy

90 TRASHING THE PLANET