8 Heartening Examples That Show How We Can Save Planet Earth
shivani k 
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Are you familiar with the term “dead city?” Owing to the rising levels of environmental pollution, most of the beautiful cities of the world have taken a hit and are being termed as dead cities. By the term dead city we mean the city will no longer be capable of providing enough land or water resources which are primary for survival of us humans. It’s true when we hear that environmental pollution is the most challenging of all the other issues that our planet Earth is facing. The rise in pollution is mainly because of the improper management of waste — this is what has contributed the most to the pollution of rivers and oceans, animal extinction, and ecosystem destruction.
Everybody around us talks about it, cribs about it, debates over it, but very few amongst us are aware of the ways through which we can save our planet Earth. It’s not too late, we can still find sustainable ways and options through which we can make our planet a happier place again. Let’s take a look at some of these heartening ways. Read on.
1. Growing Genetically Modified Plants. They Help Clean The Air
Some researchers of Washington University have discovered a very unique method that uses plants to clean air. They say that due to the increase in pollution levels in many cities all over the world, people have started to develop allergies and are suffering from many diseases. To aid this problem, they suggest us to grow genetically modified plants also known as filter houseplants — these plants help purify the air at your homes or in our surroundings (1). The teams genetically modified plants by including a gene that is present in all mammals and injected it into Epipremnum aureum plants (2). Their researches have shown that the amount of benzene has been reduced by 75% by placing such plants in their homes.
2. Say Yes To Cardboard Bottles
We all agree that it is the packaging materials that account for a large part of wastes on our Earth that isn’t recyclable, biodegradable, and just not eco-friendly enough! Keeping this in mind, Justin Murray came up with a cardboard bottle made of recycled cardboard to solve the issue of packaging. This cardboard bottle can be used to store wine, milk, etc. It’s more economical and easier to make this bottle (2). The cherry on the cake is that this bottle easily decomposes within a few months whereas glass bottles are almost eternal. Therefore, let’s switch to the better alternative, shall we?
3. Portable Biogas Bags
A German company called (B)energy generates biogas from organic wastes and manure (3). The company’s work doesn’t just end there. They transfer this gas into special bags that weigh around 9 lbs and sell them. These bags can easily be used to make your gas burner work for at least 4 hours.
4. Waste Containers Of Finland
In Finland, sorting all the wastes starts right at home. There are containers for different types of trash placed near homes where the citizens come to drop off their wastes accordingly. All over the country one can find drop off centers where one can go drop off wood, glass, metal, plastic, batteries, etc.
5. Package Refunds
In several European countries, a customer is supposed to pay for the product as well as its packaging. Although they have the option of returning the packaging, on doing so, they get a refund of the amount they’d paid earlier. How cool is that?
6. Turning Used Diapers Into Good Energy
In the Netherlands, a waste treatment plant called ARN has come up with a plan to build a factory where a reactor is installed (4). This reactor will be heated to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat will melt the diaper into liquid form, the heat will also kill all the bacteria, and the resulting product can be recycled into eco-friendly plastic, biomass, or even gas.
7. Olympic Medals For 2020 Will Be Made From E-Waste
The organizing committee of the Olympics in Tokyo has urged all its citizens to donate their unused electronic devices. The metals from these devices will be used to make Olympic medals.
8. Reusable Sanitary Pads
The history of these pads has an equal amount of goodness and badness in it. The problem concerning female hygiene and its products has been a topic of worry since ages. This is why Lunapads, reusable sanitary pads were developed (5). They come with buttons that help in attaching them easily and very firmly to the underwear. After use, they can also be washed, dried, reused again. These pads are known to provide natural air ventilation down there so there isn’t any fungal infections or irritations. And the best thing about these pads is that they can last for 3-5 years!
Simple choices like these can help us make our planet more beautiful and save it from all the destruction. So dear fellow-residents of planet Earth, it is now or never. Let us know what you feel about the above alternatives in the comments below.
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