Interactions with the Environment Sabrina Sharifzada
On a regular day we have many interactions with the environment, although we never put the time to think about it and understand the positive and negative consequences that our interactions have on the environment. In this assignment we are supposed to write down a few interactions that we have on a regular day and their consequences to the environment. Here as a few of my interactions which I have reflected on and thought about.
Automobile travel:
Automobile travel is the first one. When I go to school and come back home I need my parents to drive me. However I really didn’t take the time to think about the consequences that my action engraves on the environment until now. The consequences that cars can create are devastating. Cars let harmful gases, CO2, etc…which pollutes the air and also creates global warming and climate change. Global Warming is when the total temperature of the earth rises quickly melting glaciers and icebergs in Antarctica and other cold areas. The harmful gases an Co2 is locked in the atmosphere and that is what causes the rising of temperature. It also affects the biosphere (humans, plants and animals) by causing dangerous diseases and also reduces the growth of plants and trees. I never really thought about this but our cars need gas and to get gas they need to create pipelines which can leak into lakes and other places where marine animals live. But the reason I do this is because I carry a lot of things to take home and to school and also from school to my house there is a lot of uphill and downhill the weather is also a problem sometimes. My plan is to walk to school and home after the weather becomes better (spring). We can reduce air pollution by using public transportation, planting more trees (they take in CO2 and let out oxygen), walking, etc…
Leaving the tap running:
When I wash the dishes or brush my teeth I usually leave the tap running (by accident). I seem to forget the consequences that my action has on the environment and the hydrosphere. Water is very valuable and something that not every country has access to, so we need to be extra careful and keep the hydrosphere safe and be aware of what we do. During the summer the City of Port Coquitlam usually tells residents to use less water and only allowing to water plants on certain days and requesting to not wash your cars too much. When I searched online to find out why they are doing this, I found out that we need to conserve water because the population is growing and the environment is changing. As well as leaving water for public health and environmental sustainability. From now on I will try to remember to not leave the tap open. Another great thing to do is when you’re washing your plants or vegetables put a container in the sink so the water that is used goes into the container and once it’s full you could water your plants (that way water isn’t wasted).
A useful resource that I found to helped with research:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water
Usage of plastic bags.:
Regularly we all use plastic bags when we go shopping (including me). However it has become a habit and sometimes forget to bring along reusable bags with us but we also seem to forget the consequences of our actions. Plastic bags are very useful when shopping or just everyday use. Although many plastic bags are made from crude oil and natural gas and during the creation of the plastic the factories pollute the air and the atmosphere. Last year in a documentary that we watched in school it showed that a lot of plastics are non-biodegradable and because landfills and the geosphere are overflowing so they are throwing plastic and garbage in the oceans and in the hydrosphere which pollutes the waters and also kill many marine animals and their ecosytems. I had a Visual Journal that we would reflect on and one of my reflections were on plastic use but unfortunately I have lost it and I am not sure where it is. Many stores are charging a fee for plastic bags but that still isn’t stopping people from using plastic bags. From now on whenever we go shopping I will try to remember to bring reusable bags to reduce pollution in the air.
