We are all familiar with the terms “greenhouse effect” and “global warming”, but do we really understand what they mean? And why is recycling one of the most enforced activities in relation to these two terms? Recycling, as we all know, is the use of a waste product to create new products which can be used again. The idea of recycling is a very useful one, as it reduces the waste items, garbage, trash, and all sorts of unnecessary clutter in the world. By using these old, used items to make brand new and fully functional ones, not only do we get to save a lot more money from using second-hand materials, we also eliminate the cause of pollution and the undesirable effects of global warming. This trend has continued with the advent of recycled personal bank checks.
Why is recycling so important? Sure, we get to save money by producing new items form old materials, but what exactly does this have to do with global warming and improving the environment? Firstly, let us define global warming. Global warming is the continuous increase of the temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air. The beginning of the record of global warming was in the mid 20th century, and until today, the temperature of the Earth’s surface is continuously rising. How is this significant? When the temperature in the atmosphere increases to a dangerously high level, the seasons can reverse, water supplies would evaporate, and the most dangerous effect it would create would be the melting of all the ice caps in both the North and South Pole, causing a global tidal wave that can eliminate the entire human race. Not scary enough? Then you have to know more about it.
The primary cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect which is happening to the world everyday. The term greenhouse effect is actually coined from the idea of a greenhouse and its mechanism to grow plants even in winter season. A greenhouse is made of a glass that allows sunlight to enter the area but not exit it. Ordinary glass lets sunlight enter but also allows UV radiation to bounce out. For a greenhouse glass, the UV radiation remains inside the area. That is exactly what happens to the earth’s atmosphere today. Sunlight comes in the atmosphere, but the UV radiation can no longer bounce out. This is because of the high amounts of greenhouse gases – gases in the atmosphere that make UV radiation bounce inside the atmosphere instead of out. The most common of these greenhouses gases is carbon dioxide, which we encounter everyday.
As we all know, carbon dioxide is the gas that we exhale and plants inhale. But because there are so few plants and so many humans, it’s not surprising to see that the world’s temperature is increasing. But where does recycling fit in all that?
The increased clutter, the piled waste materials, the garbage in the dumpsters – all forms of wastes add to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. By reducing the amount of wastes in the world, the amount of greenhouse gases are also reduced, and this is one step closer to eliminating the cause of global warming.
We can all help by recycling. By throwing wastes in proper bins, cleaning up the environment, reusing common waste materials that can still be functional such as plastics, glasses, and many other materials, and by engaging in recycling movements in the neighborhood and society, our world would be a more comfortable, clean, and secure place to live in. what wouldn’t you give to save the world and prevent the occurrence of a man-made disaster that could sweep away all mankind?
Recycling is a very simple activity that we can all contribute to, and hopefully you now see the benefits that it brings. Ordering recycled personal checks is something else we all can do. If you love the planet that you live in, you won’t turn the other cheek and you will start upholding your own recycling movement.