This year at United Way Youth Venture there has been a huge increase in environmentally-related Ventures. Ventures like Project Hydrate, Eco Friendly Redesign, and Go For Kids are all focused on helping improve the environment. Why is that? Why a sudden increase in environmentally focused ventures? Perhaps recent news can help us.
Today, the environment faces many problems like air pollution and plastic use. According to the Worldwide Health Organization (WHO), all around the U.S., air pollution kills over 7 million people every year. In recent studies, it has been shown that if we do not end the use of fossil fuels like coal by 2050, we may see a major climate crisis (who.int).
Plastic use is also a major environmental issue in today’s world. We use over 500 million plastic straws every day, most of which ends up in the ocean. They say by 2050, 99% of all sea birds will have ingested plastic from the ocean (pnas.org ) and by 2040 there will be more plastic in the ocean then fish.
Kind of scary right? So, how can you help prevent this from happening? Here are some tips that you can use in your daily life to help the environment;
- Use reusable bags! When shopping, try to use bags that are not plastic, or will be thrown out after just one use, this kind of waste is what allows our ocean to fill up with plastic.
- Save electricity! When going out, even for a short while, make sure to turn off your AC and lights, as this decreases the amount of fossil fuel created in the air.
- Use reusable straws! If your enjoying iced tea at home or at a restaurant, try to use metal straws or reusable plastic straws. Although straws only make up about 1% of the oceans plastic, it can still create a difference.
- Recycle! Tale as old as time, but recycling does really help improve our environment when done correctly. Make sure you check with your local community to see what they take for recycling, as it can vary from town to town. Recycling only takes a few seconds, and can have a huge impact on our environment.
These are the types of problems that future citizens are taking note of and trying to solve. With United Way Youth Venture, causes like the environment are explored by students looking to make a change in their community. Ventures like Project Hydrate, where the goal is to decrease the use of plastic water bottles, and Eco Friendly Redesign, which focuses on making a more environmentally friendly place at school, are truly the worlds future, as these bright kids are creating real change in their communities.