Saving the environment - Greece

What can Greece do to help to save the natural environment? (300 words)

Some ideas?

(1) Encourage recycling (of what?)

(2) Be more strict with approving plans for new houses (Why?)

(3) Encourage people not to use their cars so much? (How?)

(4) Make people more conscious of saving the environment. (How? With what effects?)

(5) Stop forest fires. (How does this help?)

(6) Use alternative sources of energy - clean energy (Which sources?)



Read this and note useful vocabulary.

Thinking of some ways to contribute to saving our Earth? Then read on for some simple ways to save the environment.
Simple Ways to Save the Environment
We frequently talk about saving our environment and how important it is to conserve the natural resources. Since the school years we have been learning about the importance of a healthy environment. Environmental education has made us realize the need to preserve our natural wealth. But when did you last take a step towards saving the environment? Do you remember having resorted to a measure that can contribute to the safeguard of nature? When have you last acted upon the need to save environment? It is high time we take some major steps towards saving the environment. It is high time we wake up and make some serious efforts to save nature.

When we think of saving the environment, we often imagine devising some lengthy procedures and serious measures of saving the planet. We think of all the constituents of the environment and wonder what we can do to offer them safety. We think of afforestation and wonder how we can contribute. We think of the precious animal life and sit puzzled finding ways of saving animals. Pollution of water, land and air tops our list of environment-unfriendly factors and serious thoughts of curbing pollution crowd our mind. But the need of the day is to rise above thoughts and words and take some serious action. Each one of us can actually contribute to saving the environment by choosing simple ways of doing so. Following are the simple ways to save the environment.

Simple Ways to Save the Environment

Why not resolve to plant some trees every year? If each of us plants one little tree, it can amount to a great amount of afforestation making the environment healthier. Increasing the use of bicycles or making a habit to walk down short distances can contribute to reduction in air pollution. Try to minimize the use of vehicles. Use CFC-free products. For some destinations, the use of vehicles has no better options. But at least maintain your vehicles; clean their exhaust pipes, keep the pollution they cause under strict control.

Look at the gadgets you use at home. Are all of them necessary? Do you maintain them well and use them efficiently? Replace the air filters for your air conditioning unit once a month. Turn off the ACs as also the lights and fans in unused rooms. Make sure to switch off the lights, the television or radio systems before you leave the house. Do not keep your computer switched on while you are not using it. Did you know that your refrigerator and water heaters consume a lot of power? A careful use of these gadgets is a good way to save the electricity.

One of the most important constituents of the environment is water. Preventing the wastage of water and curbing water pollution is one of our primary duties. Turn off the taps; do not let the buckets overflow! The use of bath showers and heavy-flushes in toilets leads to an excessive usage of water. Do not dump garbage down a storm drain. Do not pollute water bodies.

Recycling is one of the best measures of saving the environment. Try to use renewable sources of energy. Resort to the use of renewable natural resources. A simple way to do this is to lessen the use of rubber and plastic. Instead, use paper bags and cardboard containers. Even a simple habit of buying in bulk can save a lot of packaging material, thus contributing to saving the environment. Buy the products that you can reuse.

When in office, print only when it is absolutely necessary. Printing every soft copy leads to a heavy wastage of paper. Remember to switch off your computer when no one is using it. Avoid an excessive use of air conditioners in the office. Use emails instead of paper correspondence. Do not use disposable cups when you have an option of using the ceramic ones.

Minimize the use of animal products, which involve their killing. Animal fur and ivory are some of the excessively used products that are gradually leading to the extinction of the animals that provide them. Resolve not to hunt animals. Follow the principles of saving the environment and encourage others in taking to environment-saving activities.

Activities like composting can be of great help in recycling of garbage into useful manures. Avoid an extensive use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic nutrients. Natural manures are a better option for farms and gardens.

These are some of the simple ways in which we can contribute towards saving nature. A small step by each of us can make a huge leap towards saving the environment.