The Voice of Bates College Since 1873

The Bates Student

The Voice of Bates College Since 1873

The Bates Student

The Voice of Bates College Since 1873

The Bates Student

All Walks of Life Are More Important than What Meets the Eye

All+Walks+of+Life+Are+More+Important+than+What+Meets+the+Eye

The Guardian reports that President Trump stated ” I believe in clean air. I believe in crystal- clear, beautiful… I believe in just having good cleanliness in all. Now, with that being said, if somebody said go back into the Paris accord, it would have to be a completely different deal because we had a horrible deal.”

Even though he claims that he stands for clean air, he constantly takes away money from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the organization that brings awareness to environmental issues in the United States. The President of the United States, like many others, has neglected the importance of the environment and how to efficiently take care of it. It seems as though people do not care if the environment, the main source for humans’ water, food, shelter, and other essential resources, is maintained. People rather focus on their individualistic issues, such as race and gender, which is very important, however, due to this one-track mind, people have forgotten about universal issues, such as the hazardous waste that goes into the environment.

This problem becomes very apparent when Trump, doesn’t acknowledge the rapid visibility of climate change and the negative impact it has on the environment and people in general. Trump, consequently, is merely a reflection of the country he serves. Americans, altogether, have developed a very anthropogenic mindset due to the lack of conversation about the environment and how to properly maintain it. Conversely, people have gained this mentality that the environment is there to serve them when, in fact, humans and other living organisms are supposed to work in conjunction with each other. This mentality is specific to Americans.

According to the article, “Use It and Lose: The Outside Effect of U.S. Consumption on the Environment,” America accounts for “thirty percent of the world’s waste, but only five percent of the world’s population.” Additionally, according to “Americans Produce A Shocking Amount of Garbage: Find out Where Your State Ranks- What You Can Do About It” by Reynard Loki, the average American produces about “4.4. pounds of trash every single day, significantly more than the global average of 2.6 pounds.”

These statistics illustrate how the U.S. is only concerned about the people that reside in the U.S., and not people from other countries or the environment itself. This level of selfishness has caused Americans to be blinded to how waste causes landfills that replace the homes of living organisms. This could eventually lead to the extinction of these creatures, as well as an increase in greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. The relevance of this is that the extinction of multiple animal species means less food to eat, and a rapid increase in greenhouse gases can lead to a rise in sea levels causing adverse changes in weather patterns.

In order to prevent these unnatural changes, the U.S. must become more biocentric, and acknowledge how their enormous amount of waste can hurt the world. One way to do this is by reducing, reusing, and recycling, which can decrease the amount of waste produced and help manage a healthier society. The U.S. can start this process early, in elementary school classrooms.

In most public schools, especially in urban areas, there aren’t any recycling bins, so students who have recyclable waste are left with no choice but to throw their items in the trash. I, personally, became desensitized to being wasteful because my school didn’t receive adequate funding for a recycling program, so teachers did not teach students about it and there weren’t any recycling bins provided. It was so bad that one teacher made their own recycle bin that people actually used.

The purpose of a recycling program should be to teach and give students the opportunity to recycle because students are more likely to do so if it is offered. However, if more recycling bins were placed in public schools and teachers were able to focus their curriculum on recycling, students could be more inclined to do it.

By teaching the younger generation about the importance of recycling, the U.S. will be building a foundation for society toward success because it encourages people to fix the mistakes their ancestors have made, as well as to not repeat the same mistakes.

 

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Kyle Larry, Managing Forum Editor

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