Min jeong Kim / Si won Seng / Yoon ah
Cha
Do you know how much trash is thrown away
everyday from Ewha? It is an extremely high amount, about 500 tons. Recently,
the Ministry of Environment said that everyday about 40,000 tons of trash is
collected and disposed of in Korea. They warn that if things go on like this,
our landfills will reach capacity in 3 years, so we will no longer be able to
dispose of all our rubbish. Thus, we should do something to save our
environment. We think that recycling, reusing and reducing waste can save the
Earth, so we suggest that you use your own tumbler, individual chopsticks,
handkerchiefs and reusable papers. This action can not only prevent
environmental pollution, but also save resources. In this article we introduce four
ways that students can help to reduce trash.
1. Using Your Own Tumbler
It
is easy to think that we just buy "coffee," but actually we buy
disposable cups, covers, and holders. All items that are made of plastic or
paper are disposable. As the number of people who enjoy coffee and other drinks
has increased, so too has the purchase levels of disposable goods. To counter this trend, people should be
encouraged to use their own tumblers and cloth holders. Also, people should be
given discounts on purchases when they use their own tumblers. Some outlets in Ewha
already do this. For example, when using tumblers, Starbucks at Ewha offers a 300 won discount and cafeterias ("cook")
offer a 100 won discount.
2.
Using Your Own Spoon and Chopsticks
A large
number of wooden chopsticks are thrown away, especially in the Ewhsarang. Some 20 million trees are cut
down to provide wooden chopsticks for one a year in Korea. Over 90 percent of
wooden chopsticks which are consumed in Korea are imported from China and it is
reported that some chopsticks are made in dirty conditions and contain
carcinogens. So, people should avoid using wooden chopsticks for the
environment and for their health.
3.
Using a Handkerchief
Nowadays,
we often use toilet paper or dryers to wipe our wet hands. However, one article
shows that most dryers which are on the walls of public toilets are wasteful
because they always emit heat during summer. In addition, we use a lot of
toilet paper to wipe our wet hands, but that habit brings waste. To prevent
this, we must use a handkerchief. Many people think that it is troublesome, and
hate putting a wet handkerchief into their pockets or bags, but if we carry a
handkerchief, the waste will be reduced. Also it will help us, when we spill
something because we can wipe it up immediately. That is, using a handkerchief
is not only better for the environment but also convenient.
4. Using Reusable Paper
We usually like one-sided printing because it
looks clear, but this practice is a problem. After we print out something, we
throw it away. But this action means that we throw away new papers and do not
often think that we have another part of paper which is not printed on.
Moreover, we know that a paper was made from a tree. We need about 17 trees to
make a ton of paper, so using reusable papers not only prevents waste, but also
saves trees. In other words, we have to utilize reusable papers for our
environment.
We
can immediately put the above four activities into action in Ewha. It is easy
to bring a tumbler instead of using disposable paper cups, and bring individual
chopsticks instead of using wooden chopsticks. Also it is simple to use a
handkerchief instead of tissue, and use reusable paper. These can be
inconvenient to those of you who are accustomed to your old habits of using
disposable things. However, once you change your habits, you can save the
earth. It can be fixed with the right
mind set and willpower. Please show us your willpower and actions. Let’s save
the earth together!