Every year, pollution and acidity levels are at an increase due to carbon emissions, plastic waste, overfishing and more. Making the choice to start using eco-friendly products and taking other steps towards being eco-conscious are some of the greatest solutions to help stop these issues that are dangerously harming the environment. 

Sustainable items like metal water bottles, reusable grocery store bags and rechargeable batteries have already stopped millions of cases of plastic and battery pollution. These items have also significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions according to reusables.org. 

Another great way to assist in keeping our environment healthy is to purchase healthier products or even take it a step further and attempt a plant-based lifestyle. Not only will it greatly reduce carbon emissions but also will make you significantly healthier. 

A plant-based lifestyle may have significant effects on your body like reduced inflammation, improved gut health and better athletic performance. All the new advancements in plant-based meats, cheeses and other milk products have made the switch considerably easier. 

Marine Biology teacher Courtney Goode has hopes that eco-consciousness will grow in the future.

“The best way to influence eco-consciousness is to spread awareness to younger generations and create stewards for the environment,” Goode said. “I tend to use reusable bags, straws and try to stay away from plastic. Where I live, there is a law that you must put all food scraps in the green can, which I find helps me feel more eco-friendly. I hope that generations to come just care more about the planet and just like my favorite quote by David Orr states,  ‘We don’t need more lawmakers, we need more planet lovers.’” 

Just as Goode remarks upon, younger generations are what’s really going to make an impact on the future. By providing children with the knowledge of how important it is to be eco-conscious, such as being a part of their education, progress towards a clean environment will be ensured. Just in 2021, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic were created (6.2 billion ending up in the trash), with only 9% of this being recycled. 

As you can imagine, 9% is far from enough, as that other 91% has ended up in our oceans and has affected numerous other ecosystems. This can be dramatically changed for the better by simply spreading awareness to those around you about how to become more eco-conscious. 

Luckily, Sage Creek High School has taken some measures to prevent heavy plastic waste, such as selling reusable aluminum water bottles at the student store and using paper bags for many of the school lunches. Also, with the recent Genius Project Forum, many juniors and seniors presented their ideas for the future, many of which addressed issues related to our environment.  

Senior Mia Humphrey is one of these students who knows how crucial the environment is for our well-being.10

“I use a reusable lunch box and water bottle every day when coming to school,” Humphrey said. “I think for the future, being eco-conscious will prevent us from having a polluted and trash-filled world and can save the environment. Just as I presented in my Genius Project, It is important to be out in nature for our mental health and the only way that can stay a possibility is to keep our environment clean.”

Whether you choose to use eco-friendly products, recycle more in the future or do anything else to be eco-conscious, it will greatly assist the environment. As we are nearly at the halfway point of 2022, choose to play out the rest of the year with good motives to help save our environment and oceans.