“When the world needs saving, superheroes seem tailor-made to get the job done, what with their extraordinary powers and spiffy suits. Unfortunately, they only exist in the realm of comic books, television shows and movies. In the real world, everyday people play the hero's -- and sometimes the villain's -- part. This is particularly true when it comes to saving the environment. With Earth providing the one and only known spot in the universe that's hospitable to the human race, preserving a healthy environment isn't just a nice ideal, it's an imperative. Mankind has the power to be either the hero or the villain in the quest to save the Earth, but certainly playing the hero will yield better results for everyone. So, though we may not have superhuman abilities or flashy outfits with capes, that shouldn't stop us from being heroes when it comes to saving the environment. Here are some easy steps we can take to do just that.”

1: Encourage Others

 

Gandhi wisely said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." That's certainly true when it comes to saving the environment, and each of us has an individual responsibility to make the changes and decisions that will benefit the natural world around us. But even our most concerted efforts will have a minimal impact if we're the only ones making them, or even if we're part of a small group making such environmental choices. The power in the steps on this list comes from getting everyone to take them together. After doing all the other things mentioned here -- cutting energy consumption, conserving water, driving less and everything else -- the most important thing is to be bold and vocal about encouraging others to do the same. The environment won't be saved by a handful of activists or even by a collection of powerful world leaders. It will be saved by the collective action of mankind. So play your part by taking the first nine steps and then asking everyone you know to join you. You never know … you might just end up being one of the heroes that help save our environment.

2: Plant trees and protest deforestation

In last few hundred years the human development was rapid, we developed and adopted new ways of living, we built sky scrapers, we manufactured vehicles and electronics appliances and so on. All these ways of adaptations and changes contributed in making our life style better in many terms. 

But when we were adopting and making changes in our life style we just ignored the price which we were paying. In this partial development we were unable to see that we were highly contributing towards destruction too, as we never thought of giving back responsibly what we have taken from our mother nature. This irresponsible attitude of just consuming the resources without ever trying to replenish them, contributed to destruction and this destruction has certainly surpassed all other benefits of our partial development. 

What we can see around us now is the after effect of all our irresponsible acts and attitude, whether it's increased number of flood, drought or any other calamity happening around the world. All these are the results of our irresponsible contribution towards destruction. 

But now it's too late to just regret over what we have done. It's high time for us to take step to turn ourselves from irresponsible individuals to responsible human beings. Though certainly we can't replenish all or can't be a great producer of what we have consumed till now, but what we can surely do is, to conserve what we are still left with, and try to replenish whatever we can. All it need is strong persistence and just a little contribution by all. 

In some countries, opposition to or displeasure with the government may not take the form of outright guerrilla, but civil disobedience. Governmental regulations are quietly ignored and violated, including those regarding conservation. For example, in Madagascar where burning has been illegal for such a long time, rural peasants violate laws in order to defy authority.

What these people do not understand is that they are hurting their own well-being by destroying the forests that provide them with what they have.

3: Support Climate Change Initiatives

For the last 10 to 15 years, world leaders have been attempting to make meaningful progress on climate change. One of the ways they've tried to do this is through climate change initiatives. These initiatives generally focus on setting firm deadlines for reducing CO2 emissions, and they often place caps on the amount of CO2 that can be produced.

A number of such initiatives have been successfully adopted on the local, regional and national levels in the United States. On the international level, initiatives like the Kyoto Protocol have garnered support and ratification from a large number of countries. But the world hasn't yet succeeded in coming up with a climate change initiative that involves all countries, including big polluters like the U.S. and China.

That said, climate change initiatives have still had a positive impact where they've been adopted, and voicing support for them contributes to the adoption of more such initiatives in the future. Another way to help further the cause of climate change is by supporting political candidates who support the passage and ratification of these initiatives.

4: Drive Less and Drive Smart

About half of the air pollution comes from cars and trucks, in India. Two important ways to reduce air pollution are to drive less -- even a little less -- and to drive smart. Taking fewer trips in your car or truck helps cut air pollution. And adopting smart driving habits reduces your car's emissions.
 

Driving less doesn't mean you have to stay home. Try combining driving with alternative modes of transportation:
 

• ·       Carpool
• ·       Walk or ride a bicycle
• ·       Shop by phone or mail
• ·       Ride public transit
• ·       Telecommute

Driving smart keeps pollution at a minimum.
 

• ·       Accelerate gradually
• ·       Use cruise control on the highway
• ·       Obey the speed limit
• ·       Combine your errands into one trip
• ·       Keep your car tuned and support the smog check program
• ·       Don't top off at the gas pumps
• ·       Replace your car's air filter
• ·       Keep your tires properly inflated

5: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

This trio of "R" words has become almost as pervasive as the old "reading, writing, arithmetic" combo. But it's no less important today than when it was first introduced. The overwhelming amount of garbage produced each year -- hundreds of millions of tons in America alone -- is one of the biggest hurdles to a healthy environment

We can each play a part in improving the trash situation by reducing our waste. This can mean buying fewer items and reducing our overall consumption. If we consume less, we use less energy and produce less waste. But regardless of how we limit our consumption, we're bound to produce some waste. We can buy in bulk to reduce packaging we throw away, but to make a difference; we also have to focus on recycling and reusing.

We can make simple changes, like shopping with reusable bags and keeping food and other items in reusable containers, rather than defaulting to plastic bags and disposable containers. And recycling obviously refers to buying recycled products and sorting waste into the appropriate categories: aluminum cans, glass, plastic, paper and cardboard. However, the definition of recycling can be expanded to encompass donating items you no longer need or want to Goodwill or the Salvation Army so others can reuse them. Many cities have "free cycle" e-mail lists that fill a similar role. If you can't reduce your consumption or find a way to reuse a product, recycling is a better choice than simply throwing something into the trash.

6: Buy Energy-efficient and Eco-friendly

Low-flow aerators and low-flush toilets aren't the only products we can choose that will help us save the environment. It's now possible to buy household appliances with an ENERGY STAR® label, and these newer appliances can sometimes reduce energy use by approximately 30 percent

Refrigerators are an excellent example of an appliance that's worth upgrading. It may be slightly painful to cough up the dough for a new fridge, but in the long run, you'll save on energy costs. You can sometimes save hundreds of dollars each year, and you'll be doing the environment a favor. Once you have the new fridge, make sure to set it at a temperature a few degrees warmer than you might usually (36 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit or 2 to 3 degrees Celsius), while your freezer should work just fine at 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 to -15 degrees Celsius). Even these slight changes will have an impact on your energy bill. And, of course, don't leave the refrigerator door open unnecessarily!

In addition to buying energy-efficient products, it's a smart idea to buy household cleaners and other items that are eco-friendly. Steering clear of chemicals that harm the environment is always a good choice. But if you aren't thrilled about paying for "green" cleaners that may come at a price premium, you can make simple, safe household cleaners with ingredients like baking soda or vinegar. Your kitchen may not smell like "mango sunrise" or "pink grapefruit passion," but it'll still be clean, and the Earth will thank you.

7: Conserve Water

We can't live without water, and anyone who's experienced a drought can attest to the preciousness of H2O. The natural world around us needs water just as much as we do, so we can't save the environment without saving our water supply, as well. Conserving water starts with looking at it as a limited resource and consuming it with that in mind.

A good way to force ourselves to cut down on water use is by installing Water Sense labeled appliances, such as low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads and faucets. These water-saving devices can reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent. Such solutions can translate into saving millions of gallons of water when even a relatively small number of people choose to implement them.

8: Produce and use sustainable energy

Sustainable energy is the sustainable provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Technologies that promote sustainable energy include renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, and tidal power, and also technologies designed to improve energy efficiency.

Today, we use huge amounts of energy - to move, lift, warm, cool, cook or light things. Energy is one of the basic necessities of our universe. It has aided in development and improved living standards all over the world. It is the engine of growth and progress.

For millions of years, humans relied on energy in their own muscles to do work. Then, it was discovered that using wood and coal, fire could cook food, and warm living spaces, that wind could propel sailing ships/vessels and a flowing river could turn a waterwheel and create power. Animals were also tamed as new sources of energy. The steam engine was developed using steam to produce energy to run machines. This made work easier and more productive. The discovery of electricity and the internal combustion engine created an even more important way of using energy.

Energy comes from several different sources. Currently, global energy use depends heavily on fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, which are referred to as non-renewables, because they cannot be replaced. They are called "fossil fuels" because they were formed between 350 million and 50 million years ago from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals. These were chemically changed through the action of heat from the earth and pressure from rocks above into oil, natural gas and coal. The growing demand for fossil fuel energy is posing serious environmental and health challenges, since energy use and production contribute over 88% of the greenhouse gas emissions, pragmatic changes in the energy sector and new technologies have the potential to reduce emissions significantly.

9: Cut Energy Consumption

The human race has grown to nearly 7 billion strong, and our seemingly insatiable consumption of energy plays a major role in destroying our environment. One of the most important steps we can take to save the environment is to significantly cut down on this consumption. On a personal level, this translates into a host of simple actions:

• Buying and using fluorescent light bulbs
•  Insulating our homes so they heat and cool more efficiently
• Turning off lights and other electronic equipment when we leave a room
• Using cold water when possible, instead of hot or warm
• Turning the thermostat up or down (depending on the season) when we're not at home
• Turning the hot water thermostat down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius)

·       Washing only full loads of laundry and dishes in the machines

There are so many more ways to cut your personal energy consumption than we can list. While these actions may seem relatively insignificant on an individual level, they have considerable impact when millions of people make the same smart decisions. What's more, consuming less energy also means smaller utility bills, and everyone likes a little extra money in the bank.

We can also make choices about how much water we use in our daily lives by, for example, taking shorter showers or not running the water while we're washing dishes. Choosing to conserve water can have a significant impact on the overall goal of saving the environment.

With these basic things, also try to follow the 

following ways to help the Environment

• Most importantly, be friendly to one another. Appreciate and respect your fellow creatures great and small and all the resources around you.
• Don't buy bin liners or other garbage bags. Reuse the bags; you receive in the grocery store, for your trash.
• Try to lessen the amount of plastic grocery bags in your environment. Reuse them when buying new groceries as often as only possible.
• Biodegradable plastic bags are better than the usual plastic bags. However, they are not ideal because of energy levels needed to produce them.
• Don’t smoke.
• To use less plastic bags, go shopping with a plastic container in the trunk of your car. You can buy a portable folding plastic box, use a clothes basket, or similar box for this purpose.
• Do not litter plastic packaging in the landscape. Dispose it properly in a trash.
• Do not buy storage containers. Use used packages for storage, like glass containers and plastic boxes from yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, whipped cream etc. They are fantastic storage utensils, and I use the plastic containers even in the freezer. Small glass containers are also fantastic to store tiny tools, and higher glass containers are excellent for elongated utensils like pencils and pens.
• Do not put hazardous waste in the drain.
• Try to buy milk in bottles. You buy bottled milk and return the empty bottles back for store credit.
• Buy drinking water in reusable glass containers. You can also use filtered tap water in your bottles. It is a less expensive alternative than bottled drinking water.
• To reduce waste in your house, leave the bulky carton boxes in the store. This is also European tradition; they leave very often packages directly in the store. For example, they take the cereal, but leave the bulky cereal boxes as waste in the store. Every supermarket does have trash cans in front of each store. There, you can dump all the boxes you do not need at home. This is rubbish, and maybe the manufacturers will learn to produce less waste when customers will reject the oversized unnecessary packages.
• Think about eating less meat and consuming it only occasionally and consciously. The carbon dioxide emission from the meat production is higher than the total emissions of all vehicles.
• When you own a garden, use it for herbs and vegetable cultivation. It is healthy, satisfying, and environmentally correct to grow your own food.
• Buy vegetables, preferably in their harvest season, and use locally grown food. This would allow avoiding high-shipping costs and saving on greenhouse energy costs.
• Use compost, a natural fertilizer. If you do not have a garden, use community composts near you. Having a compost pile in the garden is clean, odorless and free of pests. You can compost leftovers of not cooked vegetables, fruit scraps, shredded leaves and weeds, grass clippings, eggshells, coffee filters, tea bags, used kitchen towels and facial tissues. You cannot compost meat leftovers, dairy products, and cooked-food leftovers.
• Do not try to print everything. Try an external hard drive for storage. CDs and DVDs are the second-best choice for storing purposes.
• Try not to use cosmetics based on petroleum.
• Go organic! Pesticides are not acceptable for you. An example, they cause even lower IQ in newborn babies!
• Do not use plastic or paper cups for coffee, tea, or other drinks. Use instead reusable cups. Use plastic spoons, knives, forks, and plates only when you reuse them.
• Consider not to buy products from distant countries because of the energy used for their shipping.
• Green plants naturally clean air and increase oxygen in your home; have as many plants around you as you like.