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Easy Ways for Teens to Go Green

Your ecological footprint is the impact you have on the Earth's resources over your lifetime. The resources humans use in a year cannot be regenerated in a year, meaning that we are rapidly using up the time we will be able to survive on Earth as a species. "Going green" is all about reducing your ecological footprint and sustaining the Earth for a longer period of time, and you're never too young to start.

  1. Conserve Electricity

    • Turn off lights and electronics when you aren't using them. Also, don't leave your cell phone or laptop chargers plugged in all the time; they use electricity the entire time they're plugged in, not just when they're charging.

    Lower Gasoline Usage

    • Public transportation is ideal. Take the bus to school and when heading out to see friends. Another option is to arrange to ride together with friends when going to school or elsewhere. Riding together is much more environmentally friendly than using separate cars.

    Reuse and Recycle

    • Hit up thrift stores for books, clothes and furniture. Shopping at thrift stores can be a lot of fun and you never know what treasures you'll find. You can also recycle your old things or re-purpose them to reduce waste. For example, old clothes can be cut up and used to make handbags or a quilt.

    Eat Less Meat

    • Cutting back on meat consumption is healthy for the planet and for your body. It takes 4.8 pounds of grain and up to 6,000 pounds of water to feed and hydrate a cow for each pound of meat produced. This is a huge waste of resources considering that the same amount of water could be used to produce 100 pounds of grain.

    No More Bottled Water

    • Bottled water offers no health benefits over tap water, and the amount of waste produced is staggering: up to 1.5 million tons of plastic bottles each year, less than 20 percent of which are recycled. Additionally, about 47 million gallons of oil are used in the production of plastic bottles. Instead of buying bottled water, refill your own reusable bottle from the tap.

    Educate Your Friends

    • Show your friends all the ways you're reducing your ecological footprint and encourage them to do the same. Hang out together and comb the thrift stores for vintage finds or try a new vegetarian meal together.

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