How Environmentally Friendly Are You?

Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.

– Native American Tribe Unknown

‘Climate change’ has been the reiterative and inflammable topic or serious concern to discuss not only amongst scientists but for everyday people like us as well. Hail in the midst of April or humid summers in normally dry Los Angeles. Unseasonal icy rainstorm in the Midwest towns in America. All these slaps in the face from mother nature have been mostly man-made. If you are to quote the English Poet Alexander Pope as saying “To err is human, to forgive divine.”, it seems that the end of nature’s mercy on human misdeeds is about to manifest itself through various natural disasters. What we are going through today is holding us accountable for all the mistakes we’ve been committing so far.

Quite a few corporations around the world are focusing not only on making profits but also on the environmental issues in order to minimize the harm resulting from their profit-making activities. That is why the concept of sustainability is being emphasized in the industrial section to prevent irreversible damage to the environment or depletion of natural resources. However, there is one big question and argument going on in the U.S. about the potential harm or critical impact of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on the quality of drinking water. Hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas (which is also called fracking) refers to the industrial process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure for the purpose of fracturing shale rocks to release natural gas inside. In the process of fracking, approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used. The toxins included in these chemicals contaminate well water which is used for drinking water for nearby cities and towns. We often hear the news about badly affected patients who have sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water. A few years ago, I came to learn about the White House hotline or sign petition to participate in the campaign against the man-killing and environmentally destructive oil fracking industry.  Although it is a small step, I believe that people’s continuous interest in the environment protection along with the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)’s accurate assessment on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas would make a huge difference.

As well aware, our living planet has been ailing and severely devastated. We are probably almost coming to the point of hearing final death rattle of the Earth. Let’s just start with small and simple things in our daily routines from today on. Ditch the disposable bottled water but carry our own reusable water bottles to the gym. Turn off the tap water while you’re soaping your face or shampooing your hair. Bring your own grocery bag made of cloth, not the disposable plastic bag. How about carpooling with friends going to the same place? How environmentally friendly are you out there?

Expressions

inflammable: (same as ‘flammable’. Do not think of the prefix ‘in-‘ as the one with negative/ opposite meaning) easily set on fire      e.g., inflammable emotions of the crowd

to err is human, to forgive divine.: It is ​natural for ​people to make ​mistakes and it is ​important to ​forgive ​people when they do. It is a quote of the 18^th century English poet Alexander Pope.

hold somebody accountable for something: to consider somebody responsible for something

e.g., Are you holding me for accountable for something that I said more than 25 years ago?

sustainability: the idea that the economy should be organized in ways that can be continued without causing damage to the environment or complete use-up of natural resources

depletion: the act of decreasing/ consuming something markedly

hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas: (also called fracking) Hydraulic fracturing is a process used in nine out of 10 natural gas wells in the US, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock and release the gas, through which the chemicals used in the process may pose a threat either underground or when waste fluids are handled and sometimes spilled on the surface.

respiratory: The human respiratory system is a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling CO2. The primary organs of the respiratory system are lungs

EPA: The United States Environmental Protection Agency is the U.S. federal government agency created for protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.