Greetings honourable judges! Thank you for taking the time to review my presentation. I have worked very hard to make it unique yet informative and compelling. I hope that you enjoy it. See you in Montreal! MERCI!
Jaclyn Miles
Forest destruction, ozone depletion, wildlife extinction, pollution... These are just a few examples of the many environmental issues we face today. These issues are so big that they affect one another and make the damage we’ve done to this earth seem impossible to reverse. The environmental challenges that we face today are numerous and impact the whole world which can leave us feeling like not one person could make a difference. So what can one person do about the increase of smog in our cities or the forest fires in British Columbia? A LOT!
The environmental issues that we face today are a product of human activity. We are polluting the air with CO2 emissions which can be produced by natural gas emissions (such as driving a motor vehicle or emissions from factories). This and other emissions that pollute the air destroy the ozone layer, which heats the earth’s temperature and contributes to forest fires, wildlife extinction and resource depletion. One environmental problem is related to the next in so many different ways, but it can all be stopped and possibly even reversed if we look at our own actions. These problems started because of US and WE must take on the responsibility to correct them! (At this point I will be speaking about the model I have created to illustrate this point which is presented in the video).
What we have to realize is that we don’t have to focus on just one environmental issue. We can choose to work on them all! You don’t have to work for Greenpeace or be a scientist to make a difference! All you have to do is take a look at your personal impact on the environment or what we call your “ecological footprint”. By recognising the impact one person has on the planet we can be guided to make small steps to correct the problems. For example, if each person lessened their shower time by 2 minutes, they would save a total of 10 gallons of water! Imagine how much water would be saved if every person in the world did this!
It’s easy to say that the solution to solving all of these environmental problems would be for each person to make small steps to lessen their ecological footprints. But how would we actually get people to understand how important it is to make a change? I feel that the best solution to this problem is education!
As an educator, I see the impact that education has on children every day. The planet, its resources and creatures are so precious to children and we must take to opportunity to educate them about what they can do in their everyday lives to save the planet! I feel that it would be essential for grade schools across Canada to develop environmental clubs such as the one a co-worker and I have developed at Ecole St Jean Baptiste in Amherstburg. During recess, the children discuss ways they can help with environmental problems by learning about their ecological footprint and how they can take action to stop harmful behaviours. In turn, parents and other siblings learn the importance of making the earth a greener place! Overall, my goal as Miss Earth Canada would be to visit grade schools across Canada and encourage them to take this initiative. Prevention is the key to saving the environment!
For now, I can provide each and every one of you with the tools on how to start lessening your ecological footprint today! On the back of your complimentary eco-friendly gift, is a list of things you can do to save the planet, one person at a time!
Lessen Your Ecological Footprint. Save The Earth One Person At a Time.
(Will be on the back of the gift)
- Take a close look at your beauty products. They are often full of chemicals that are harmful to you
- and the planet.
- Buy recyclable, biodegradable clothing (Made from cotton, bamboo, hemp...).
- Household products/cleaners can be full of toxins. Use an environmentally friendly solution for
- dishwashing, laundry, and other household products.
- Recycle!
- Reuse items before throwing them in the garbage or recycle.
- Buy biodegradable products.
- Buy local! Save resources and lessen carbon emissions by buying locally grown food.
- Plant a tree! ONE tree can offset 2.5 billion tons of carbon monoxide in its lifetime!
- Use alternate modes of transportation (public transit, bicycle, walk).
- Support local businesses!
- Avoid plastic bottles.
- Eat organic. It will be healthier for you and the environment!
- Eat less meat in your diet! It takes a lot of water, energy and fossil fuels to make the meat healthy
- to eat!
- Stop doing your dishes by hand. Doing a sink full of dirty dishes uses 25 gallons of water! Buy an
- energy efficient dish washer which uses 5x less water.
- Shorten your shower time and lessen the temperature. You use 3 gallons (or more) of water per
- minute in the shower.
- Keep devices unplugged! 75% of the power consumption of these types of electrical appliances is
- when the device is turned off, but still plugged in.
- Replace all the bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent bulbs. If we all did this we could
- prevent the emission of greenhouse gases equivalent to that of 800,000 cars.
- Avoid Styrofoam! It takes practically forever to biodegrade.
- If every person in Canada used 100% recycled paper towels, 1.4 billion trees could be saved.
These and more tips can be found on my webpage: http://jaclynmiles.daportfolio.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment