Green
There has been big talk about saving earth or going green, over the past few years. The main purpose is to preserve earth’s natural raw resources because we are running out of natural resources including gas, oil, and coal. There are energy efficient products being promoted such as battery operated cars, appliances, light bulbs and even homes. The problem is many energy efficient items are so expensive, that not everyone can afford to pay for an energy efficient car or an energy efficient home, but there are still many ways to help save the planet earth. Think about what is in that trash bag before you throw it away.
Saving the trash could possibly mean saving the earth. If consumers could do something with the trash they discard the manufacturer would not have to use raw natural materials to make products. The average person generates four pounds of trash per day (Brown Par 2 ). If consumers could recycle some of that trash they could reduce landfills. Landfills are a place where your discarded trash goes; it is then buried. Not only are landfills not good for the environment, but they are not good for the wildlife. Another good reason for recycling is it saves energy because the big companies do not have to burn as much energy to produce something new. By using recycled materials it cuts down on the energy consumption as well as the cost for consumers. That means more money in everyone’s pocket. Consumers can also save a lot money recycling because instead of buying something new they can just turn that plastic bottle into something or plastic bag into something useful. Everyone wants the planet to be around for years to come. So people should want to preserve our natural resourses and protect our wildlife. People who choose not to recycle should understand the benefits of recycling. For example if you recycle one aluminum can it saves enough energy to watch TV for three hours. (Rosen Par 4). Recycling one hundred aluminum cans can light your bedroom for two weeks (Brown Par 7). Another benefit of saving energy that has been one of the things that is most talked about lately. Consumers could stop global warning just by recycling the cans or that plastic bottle.
Why stop at just recycling aluminum cans, plastic bags, plastic bottles, and etc. That laptop or that old sell phone can also be recycled. It is estimated that in the past decade over three hundred million computers are either replaced or recycled (Johnson Par 4). At least one billion computers will be scrapped (Johnson Par 4). You cannot just toss computers in a landfill. Like you would do with plastic bottles and alumni cans. Computers have a lot of toxic chemicals. For example the non-flat computer screens contains four to eight pounds of lead and the liquid crystal display contains mercury (Johnson Par 7). These chemicals can be very harmful to the environment if they leak into the ground. Fifty percent of the United States depend on the groundwater for drinking water (The ground water foundation Par 8). The chemicals are more prone to get into the groundwater supply once they get into a landfill. Everyone needs water to survive. We should want to keep the water pure and free of toxins.

As consumers we should really think about what we are getting ready to throw away. Consumers should think about how much trash that is accumulated and try to recycle some of the unwanted items. Our goal should be to stop creating landfills with our unwanted items, also our goal should be to save energy. While buying that new laptop or cell phone consumers remember that if the old cell phone or laptop are not discarded properly they could possibly end up in a landfill. The landfills are not good not only for the plant but landfills are not good for our wildlife and our drinking water. Bottom line is consumers should be more aware of our spending and what goes into the trash.

Works Cited * Brown,Amber. "11 Facts About Recycling." 11 Facts About Recycling. Web. 17 May 2015.

* "Get Informed." Groundwater Contamination. Web. 17 May 2015. * * Johnson, Ariel. “Consumers Should Consider The Environment When Buying Electronics”. n.p.: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 May 2015.

* Rosen, Mike. "Keep America Beautiful." Keep America Beautiful. Web. 17 May 2015.