Humans need plants for survival, but we also need them for their basis in the long-term health and sustainability of our environmental systems. Plants improve the environment in many ways, like releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, absorbing carbon dioxide, providing nutrients to animals, and regulating the water cycle — all things we need to sustain life on Earth.
Do you own a bike, but don’t ride it much? Biking doesn’t make sense for everyone, but Bike-to-Work Day and every day after that leaves many reasons to consider why you could benefit from biking to work every day! For some, safety is a concern, but good news is that more communities and streets are adding bike lanes to ensure safety for those who ride their bikes on a daily basis. Let’s take a look at all the benefits of biking to work.
If you’ve gone for takeout recently and received your food in cardboard-like takeout boxes, then you may have met “bagasse” in real life. Many eco-friendly restaurants and companies are prioritizing sustainability within their single-use containers, choosing packaging that is made from environmentally-friendly materials. While bamboo is well-known for eco-friendly packages, bagasse is a lesser-known material.
One-hundred companies are responsible for more than 90 percent of all global plastic waste, according to new research from The Plastic Waste Makers index. And twenty of those companies are responsible for a whopping 55 percent of the world’s plastic waste.
Climate change has brought a magnifying glass to the global problem of air pollution. As we build, create, and manufacture, our machines release toxic chemicals into the air that cause smog and other forms of pollution.
Fossil fuels emit harmful chemicals that can cause serious problems for the environment and people’s health. Greenhouse gas emissions come from the use of fuels such as natural gas, coal, wood, and petroleum.
Gracefully statuesque with muscular shoulders and a long, arching neck, giraffes roam the African savanna, grazing from the treetops. Their legs are often longer than 6 feet, and they can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour for short distances. These tall creatures with goofy faces, long purple tongues, and an array of individual spotting patterns flaunt two horns alongside their ears that mimics a crown. Needing about 5-30 minutes of sleep per 24-hour period and requiring a sip of water every few days, giraffes are basically superbeings.
Hidden behind the dense curtain of the ocean water and singing an eerie song of their own, whales are the gentle giants of the deepest depths. Whales are built similarly to the Hippopotamus and are warm-blooded with a layer of blubber to help insulate and moderate body temperature. Large flippers allow them to navigate the ocean currents, and their blowholes on the top of their head allow a quick breath before diving again. Some whales can hold their breath for up to 90 minutes.
Earth Day, an annual celebration of the efforts made to support the environment, occurs on April 22nd throughout the world. This day is meant to help raise awareness of environmental issues through rallies, service projects, conferences, and other outdoor activities. Although Earth Day began as a small grassroots movement, its existence has propelled the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Federal Occupational Health and Safety Act, and others.