THE GREEN MILLENNIAL

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch The great pacific garbage patch is formed by us, humans.  When we produce and consume plastic or any other form of waste, we are contributing to the many deaths of marine wildlife every day.  Midway Atoll, or Midway Island, is located in the Pacific Ocean.  Of the 1.5 million Laysan Albatrosses  that inhabit Midway Atoll, nearly all are found to have plastic in their digestive system.   Approximately one-third of the chicks die mostly due to being fed plastic from their parents. If we reduce the amount of plastic that we produce and consume, millions of marine wildlife lives will be saved. Go save the planet!

Creating Extinction With our bad habits There are countless animals and other living things suffering from global warming.  Polar bears are highly threatened by melting ice due to our carelessness and unawareness.  With their homes melting away quickly, polar bears are being forced to move to warmer climate so that they are able to go to bed and wake up the next day on solid land.  If we keep being as careless as we are right now, Polar bears will become extinct very soon.  This is because polar bears cannot survive just any where, they can only live in very cold, icy climates.  When the ice runs out, polar bears and countless other amazing species of living things will become extinct in the wild. Put some posters around your neighborhood to raise awareness: http://assets.worldwildlife.org/publications/527/files/original/DareTheWorld_Vertical_19.6x26.6cm.pdf?1355438862 http://assets.worldwildlife.org/publications/528/files/original/WhatAreYou...

An Environmentalist's View on Cars Just about everyone drives almost everywhere in cars!  Considering that an average car emits about 6 tons of carbon dioxide every year.   Knowing that global warming is mainly caused by carbon dioxide, that can't be good!   This photograph shows a car emitting a large amount of smog, contributing largely to global warming, This chart shows how Americans commute to work: The amount of Americans that commute to work by driving alone is very believable, considering the large quantity of cars that are on roads and highways all of the time, but also thoroughly disgusting!  Cars contribute to a very high percentage  of global warming  by emitting carbon dioxide, smog, smoke, and other harmful gases into the air and are driven almost everywhere by most of the U.S. population. Cars produce a lot of smog, which hurts living conditions and creates numerous health problems, such as asthma and even l...

Environmental Affects of Eating Animals 7.3 million people, or 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, follow a vegetarian-based diet.  About 1 million people, or 0.5 percent, are vegans, who consume no animal products at all. Being a vegetarian myself, I know all about it.  My mom used to be vegan, so I know all about that, too.  Vegetarians do not eat any meat while vegans don't eat any animal products at all, including dairy and eggs.  One of the questions I get asked most often is "So, what  do  you eat?" The answer to that is basically everything that isn't an animal.  You can eat fruits, vegetables, grains, tofu, dairy, eggs, and everything that didn't have a face.  There is also processed soy products like vegetarian sausage, bacon, burgers, and chicken. Some people who eat animals probably don't even know exactly what they eat when they scarf down a hot dog.  Most likely they think "I'm just eating meat" or "I'm just eat...

Eco Hero: Julia Butterfly Hill Hill climbing Luna Julia Butterfly Hill is an American activist and environmentalist.  In order to stop the clear cutting of some Giant Redwoods in Humboldt County, Hill lived on two blocks of wood in one of these redwoods, named Luna, for 738 days.  Others brought her provisions and other survival supplies when she needed them.  She faced very cold temperatures and angry loggers, but stayed until the Pacific Lumber Company agreed to protect Luna and all of the trees within a 200 foot buffer zone. Luna Hill gives a speech Hill now is a motivational speaker and holds some 250 events every year.  She continues to protest for the rights of the earth and supports eco-friendly organizations. Julia Butterfly Hill has set a good example for people all over the world by standing up for what she believes in, showing her passion for the environment, and showing her consideration for future gener...

Deforestation About 10 million trees are cut down daily and about 4 billion trees are cut down per year!   Trees provide shelter for animals, some of these animals are endangered!  Trees also produce oxygen, a  necessity to all life on earth. One of the ways that these trees are used is in toilet paper.  20,805 sheets of toilet paper are used by the average U.S. consumer per year.          Here are some more facts about deforestation: About 100 million trees are cut down every year just for junk mail, which is                         equivalent to all of the trees in the Rocky Mountain National Park being cut down  every 4 months.  A major cause of deforestation is the clear cutting of forests for cattle ranches that   raise cows for meat. Here is a picture of before and  after  deforestation: Go save the planet!

World Energy Consumption This chart shows how much energy is used in the whole world each year: Energy use (TWh) Year Fossil Nuclear Renewable 1990 83,374 6,113 13,082 2000 94,493 7,857 15,337 2008 117,076 8,283 18,492 Change 2000-2008 22,583 426 3,155 Here are some ways that you can reduce the amount of energy used per year, which contributes to global warming:           1.  Turn out the lights when you are not in the room.           2.  Unplug everything that is not in use or is not used often.           3.  Use the heater in your house less, wear warm clothes more.           4.  Set your computers to sleep or hibernate when not in use.           5.  Use appliances efficiently. Go save the planet!