Someone once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. This certainly holds true when realizing hybrid technology is only a step on the path to a more sustainable future. Proponents of hybrid vehicles tout their fuel efficiency and lowered emissions - a big improvement over their gas guzzling counterparts. Opponents, however, continually assert the question, “What are we going to do with all those batteries?” With well over a million hybrids on the road today, it’s a fair question.

It’s time to buy a gift. So you did your due-diligence and found an eco-friendly product. Hooray! Now you’re ready to wrap it. But, what do you use? Reuse your Sunday comics? Perhaps. How about decorate the inside of a brown paper bag? Classy. These days you have more choices than sifting through your recycling bin.

Today in the United States, the largest portion of municipal solid waste goes to paper and paper products. Since nearly 66% of the fibers used in modern paper production come from trees and tree byproducts, the enormous demand for paper is posing a serious threat to forest reserves. Ancient forests are being cleared at a rate equivalent to a soccer field every two seconds. This is a main reason why environmentally friendly paper products have been gaining in popularity. What are these environmentally friendly paper fibers?

As the population continues to grow, the amount of trash that we discard seems to grow even faster. In just one year’s time, we are now throwing away nearly a ton of trash per person. And we are only recycling about 30% of that. What a shame when we realize that it costs more to throw away recyclable items then to recycle it. The $30 it takes to recycle costs us $50 to ship to the landfills or $70 to incinerate. Here are 10 recycling ideas to help reduce our growing landfills.

Consider the number of computers in most homes and offices around the world. Now think about how many printers are connected to each one of those computers. Although these electronic devices may only be replaced every few years, it is not the same with the consumables, namely the ink cartridges.

People often have different ideas on what recycling is. Some may think of recycling as reusing, but they are actually two different things. Reusing is finding ways and means on how to use a product, aside from its original purpose. Recycling, on the other hand, is commonly understood as the process by which waste products would be used again. However, there are actually two types of recycled products.

We’ve all heard the old adage: out with the old and in with the new. While this practice may be beneficial for people’s personal lives, it doesn’t generally have positive results for the environment. Every time we throw a piece of trash into the garbage can, we add to the growing heaps of waste materials filling our landfills across the US.

Due to the accelerated increase of waste generation, many organizations have made it their goal to promote environmental awareness. Manufacturing plants have also started doing their share for the preservation of the environment and many have opted to implement environmentally friendly packaging for their products.

You don’t have to run out and join Greenpeace International just to help the environment. Caring for the environment is a simple task that you can do anywhere you go. With the present dangers the ecosystem is faces, doing your share to help the environment will contribute greatly to its preservation.

Every human being in this world is interconnected. Every action that a person makes affects another. You may feel that you are merely a speck of dust in the sea of humanity yet everything you do creates an environmental impact that can change the lives of people around you.