Would you stop having children, or not have any children at all if it meant you were saving the planet? The earth’s population is currently 7.3 billion, and according to CBS News, it will increase to 11.2 billion by the end of the century (Schupak). This means that at the current rate at which humans are reproducing, there will not be enough natural resources to sustain life on earth. No more fresh-water. No more trees. No more oil. Mankind will be driven to extinction without these crucial resources. However, many individuals have started feeling, “Green Guilt.” This term was created by environmentalists to describe those who feel guilty for wasting a plethora of the earth’s natural resources, and are trying to do their part to save the planet.
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At first glance, recycling has its many benefits. Instead of miscellaneous materials such as; paper, plastic, and aluminum being buried underground, they are sent to sorting plants to begin life yet again. This helps cease the drilling of fossil fuels, deforestation, reduces air pollution, and reduces greenhouse gases creating a safer habitat for humans and animals to live. Recycling also has an economic benefit, allowing for products to be used to their fullest potential while obtaining maximum profits. Ultimately, the environmental benefits of recycling come predominantly from reducing the need to manufacture more products (Tierney 3). While it is true that recycling has its advantages, not everyone takes the time to perform the task. As David Steiner, chief executive of Waste Management in Maryland, puts it, “If people felt that recycling is important, they would already be doing it,” (Davis 1). In this case, Steiner’s statement augments the idea that laziness is holding people back from recycling. People do not want to take the time to go out and recycle. Many people would much rather throw everything in one place. Amy Westervelt complicates matters further when she writes, “Recycling is not the small operation it once was, it is a commodity business that fluctuates with supply and demand,” (2). The recycled goods that are collected in the United States are shipped wherever the demand is high, and since the demand for products is different on a day to day basis, the market for recyclables can crash at any instant. This means that on some occasions, the recyclables may end up in a landfill either way. Anyone familiar with the stock market must agree that it fluctuates. The prices of recyclable materials can be very high one day, and very low the next. As a result, people need to be further educated on the environmental cost that consumerism is
At first glance, recycling has its many benefits. Instead of miscellaneous materials such as; paper, plastic, and aluminum being buried underground, they are sent to sorting plants to begin life yet again. This helps cease the drilling of fossil fuels, deforestation, reduces air pollution, and reduces greenhouse gases creating a safer habitat for humans and animals to live. Recycling also has an economic benefit, allowing for products to be used to their fullest potential while obtaining maximum profits. Ultimately, the environmental benefits of recycling come predominantly from reducing the need to manufacture more products (Tierney 3). While it is true that recycling has its advantages, not everyone takes the time to perform the task. As David Steiner, chief executive of Waste Management in Maryland, puts it, “If people felt that recycling is important, they would already be doing it,” (Davis 1). In this case, Steiner’s statement augments the idea that laziness is holding people back from recycling. People do not want to take the time to go out and recycle. Many people would much rather throw everything in one place. Amy Westervelt complicates matters further when she writes, “Recycling is not the small operation it once was, it is a commodity business that fluctuates with supply and demand,” (2). The recycled goods that are collected in the United States are shipped wherever the demand is high, and since the demand for products is different on a day to day basis, the market for recyclables can crash at any instant. This means that on some occasions, the recyclables may end up in a landfill either way. Anyone familiar with the stock market must agree that it fluctuates. The prices of recyclable materials can be very high one day, and very low the next. As a result, people need to be further educated on the environmental cost that consumerism is