I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.
—Mother Teresa
Environmental integrity means that your actions with regard to the environment match your felt or expressed priorities and values with regard to the environment. It is a condition where the natural processes of a place occur with the strength and frequency expected in the region. Places with environmental integrity experience normal patterns of rainfall, fires and other processes, and contain ecosystems that house the living and non-living species native to the area. Human activity is changing the environment at an unprecedented scale. Deforestation, water pollution, the demand for fossil fuels, and overpopulation are altering our once-pristine ecosystems into wastelands.
If these activities are left unmanaged, we run the risk of eroding our Earth’s environmental integrity, which is the natural, balanced state of the planet’s ecosystems. To continue maintaining environmental integrity will require us to better manage our cities and conserve our natural habitats. Creating a balance between the well-being of humans and other living things in the environment is a central goal of environmental integrity.
As a citizen, you can play a role in controlling as much pollution as possible by following a few simple steps that start at home. You can find different ways to keep the environment clean, green and healthy. The underlisted are 10 practical ways to clean up the environment.
- Maintain a healthy ecosystem
An ecosystem will have need for good interaction with organisms, animals, green plants in a healthy environment. This helps keep the entire ecosystem healthy and alive for many years together. The entire ecosystem gets negatively affected due to the excessive air pollution and global warming. Changes in your lifestyle can help the entire planet with its ecosystem in a healthier way.
- Reduce the usage of your electrical appliances
This is the best way to conserve energy. You can buy appliances that are not only environmentally friendly, but also energy efficient. One of the best ways to save electricity is to turn off all lights and appliances when not in use. In the washing machine, you can wash clothes with warm and cold water instead of hot water.
- Reduce usage of pesticides and other chemicals
It is always recommended to eliminate household chemicals and pesticides that directly pollute the green environment as much as possible. Instead, you can make your own cleaning solutions using distilled vinegar, lemon and baking soda. There are many ‘green’ cleaners on the market that are just as environmentally friendly as regular cleaners.
- Drive your car less
You can drive less and use other means of transport instead. Many countries recommend fixing your car’s leaking ventilation, which damages the upper ozone layer. You also have to be careful when refuelling the car and make sure it doesn’t spill out of the tank. You can also use energy saving motor oil.
- Recycle the waste products
Many waste materials – such as glass, plastic, aluminum and paper – can be recycled instead of being thrown in the trash. This prevents air pollution that accumulates when these products are burnt. You can also use reusable towels and reusable bags instead of single-use plastics or bags.
- Reduce the usage of your wooden stoves
A wood stove tends to produce extra smoke in the air, which is harmful to the health of your entire family. Instead, you can cook with energy-saving appliances that promise affordable and fast cooking.
- Reduce carbon footprints
There are many ways to reduce the carbon footprint that causes excessive air pollution. You can lower the temperature of the water heater, wash dishes by hand instead of the dishwasher, reduce the use of air conditioners or heaters and buy energy-efficient lighting to reduce energy consumption and heat production.
- Grow your food locally
Growing food locally helps reduce the overall commercial transport of foods that require pesticides and preservatives to preserve them. These preservatives directly pollute the air. It is also a proven fact that organic food is more sustainable than food preserved with harmful pesticides and chemicals that harm the entire global ecosystem.
- Reduce contaminants
It is always better to reduce the use of pollutants and toxic materials in the home. A healthy environment starts at home. You should also make sure that you dispose of all the waste properly, you can just throw it in the trash.
- Avoid pollution
Try not to throw trash or garbage almost anywhere in and around your house. You should try to dispose of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste in a proper manner and avoid littering throughout your home environment. Any excess of air or water pollution can negatively affect the health of you and your family, while destroying the entire environment around the world.
Conclusion
You can strengthen your positive influence by convincing other people of the importance of an environmentally friendly behaviour. Tell them what environmental pollution really means for future generations and how making small changes in our daily lives can prevent these harmful effects.
As you can see, there are many things that can affect the environment. If we are not careful, we can contribute to environmental degradation around the world. However, we can take steps to stop it and take care of the world we live in by providing people with environmental education that helps them learn about their environment, that allows them to consider environmental issues, and make it more useful and safer for our children and other future generations.
Credit
https://makechange.aspiration.com/how-to-maintain-the-earths-environmental-integrity/ [Accessed July 20, 2023]
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth-day-23-quotes/ [Accessed July 21, 2023]
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-environmental-degradation.php [Accessed July 21,2023]
About the writer
Ebenezer specializes in development Communication, International Development, Innovative Finance for SMEs, and Sustainability.
You can reach him via [email protected] & [email protected]
