Tips for Teenagers

This guest blog comes from Eva, a student at Colony High School in Alaska.

Mrs. Welsh, Colony High School’s recycling adviser, hopes that recycling levels will rise, saying, “We want those recycling bins to be full. We don’t want people to throw things away.” Yet that is exactly what happens, with people tossing potential recyclables in the trash instead. Students do not realize that any paper, cardboard, plastic or aluminum products can be recyclable, and the only exceptions are waxed products and items that have food residue, like paper plates with pizza grease.

Recycling is just one of many ways to help the environment, and while basic green things like switching off lights when not in use have been repeated to the point of redundancy, some teenagers want to do more. Most teens still live under their parents’ rule, which can hinder actions like purchasing eco-friendly products, but there are other ways to help that do not require parental cooperation.

Unplugging electronic devices as soon as maximum charge is reached keeps energy from draining needlessly and also helps batteries last longer. Running dishwashers and washing machines only when full reduces water-heating energies and costs, as does letting plates and clothes air-dry. Using cool water settings for clothing saves heating energy and helps garments last longer. Removing excess weight from cars lessens gas consumption by lightening the load.

The Internet can even be greener by using Blackle, Google’s answer to saving energy by using a black background and white text to conserve energy used to light the screen. Goodsearch.com is another choice; this search engine donates to charities of the user’s choice for every link clicked. A plethora of information for environmentally conscious living is available on the Internet, with many websites and blogs dedicated to green lifestyle choices that offer easy, practical solutions to help make green decisions, making every day a green day.