Some people think “going green” would be a huge sacrifice, as if you’re donating a kidney and life as you know it will cease to exist. Really, there’s no need to be dramatic; living an environmentally friendly lifestyle is as easy as riding a bike: once you learn, you’ll remember forever. 

No one expects you to drop everything and help save the world, but think about it: if we all make one small change, like utilizing Moorpark’s recycling program, then as a whole we can make some serious changes without having to do much at all.

The power of a group of like-minded people with a common goal is impenetrable.

I think it’s always nice to start out small and work your way up, so first let’s tackle recycling. You may not realize the impact that recycling has on the environment, but without it I can’t even imagine what level of destruction our environment would be in.  

According to ecocycle.org, recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, produces enough oil to run the average car for 1,260 miles, enough power to run an average home for 6 months, 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and prevents 60 pounds of air pollution! That alone is a phenomenal difference. The website also mentions that Americans toss enough aluminum to rebuild our nation’s entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months.

It’s scary to think about how lazy we are; with statistics like these it’s hard to deny it. However, it’s never too late to start! By recycling just one aluminum can, you’ll be saving enough energy to power a television for three hours. Recycling glass also has a major impact on our environment, but for some reason people tend to overlook glass and often throw it away without a second thought, forcing manufacturers to make more glass from silica sand. If they had more recycled glass available for use, we could reduce mining waste by 70 percent, water use by 50 percent and air pollution by 20 percent.

So, whether you’re at home, work or school, recycling is important. If you’re at school, the job is already done for you: just toss your recyclables in the clearly marked recycle bins and you’ve done your good deed for the day. If you’re at home, hang up a few trash bags in your garage or laundry room and mark one “plastics”, the second “aluminum” and the third, “glass”. If you’re planning on cashing in your recyclables, it’s important to keep them divided, because when you take them to a recycling center, the cans, plastic and glass will need to be weighed separately. There’s even something in it for you; recycling centers will hand over some nice pocket change for your donation. Don’t expect to get rich this way, but if it fills up the gas tank or puts dinner on the table, it’s worth it to most of us struggling through the economic crisis. If you’re at work, check with your boss to see if there’s already a recycling program in place. If there isn’t then pitch the idea with a clever suggestion like using the proceeds towards an office pizza day. That way, you’re not only helping our environment, you also just scored points with the boss. 

So whether you’re doing it for the cash, the professional clout or simply to help the environment, the important thing is that you do it.