Growing up, I was never the kid who willingly went outside to play. I always preferred to stay inside and read. However, one summer, I loved riding my bike. I used to think I was the coolest kid on the block with my purple bike that still had training wheels.
As I got older, my bike started to just hang out in the garage because it was too hot to go outside. So I picked up other interests that involved being inside.
Every summer after that, the temperature just kept increasing. Kids stopped going outside and started to stay inside to fight the heat. As we get older, Atlanta became our new playground. Finding new areas to hang out, driving around the city at night and sometimes going to cookout at 3 A.M is like riding that bicycle.
Having fun in the city is so cool until you step outside and instantly regret your decision, as the heat bears down on you.
According to stateatrisk.org, Georgia averages almost 20 life threatening heat days a year. You know how hot it gets if you have ever been outside after it rained during the summer in Atlanta.
The climate during these months is hot and humid, and climate change has not helped cool it down. While our original climate is not something we can control, we control how bad the climate gets.
Society tells you to be eco-friendly, then promotes corporate companies who profit from the use of harmful plastics. One example is Starbucks; they have strawless lids and sell reusable straws. Yet, by default, they give every customer a single-use straw and tell them to have a good day.
If we are going to push people to care about the environment, shouldn’t we take the first step? Everyone is so quick to praise large companies for taking steps towards a better world, only for that progress to grind to a halt when the new scandal comes out.
We all see people repost things like “Save the turtles” or “Become Eco-friendly” on social media.” Back in March, The Signal published an article about how people will say they support social groups.
“I see people post things saying they support or disagree with an idea, then do something that just goes against everything they say.” the article stated.
Sooner or later, our planet will not be able to be repaired. Being a fake environmentalist because metal straws are trendy has to stop.
Back in elementary school, the school districts emphasized, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” As children, we didn’t know any better. It was all just picking up after yourself and sorting trash.
If only we would have stuck with it, we might not be where we are now. However, we can still come together and save our planet. There are many simple ways to help stop global warming, like taking shorter showers, unplugging your devices when they are not in use and rethinking your transportation use.
Living in the city, Georgia State students can get all around town without using an automobile. Walking, using MARTA or even carpooling can help reduce your carbon footprint and make this world a semi-better place to live.
I grew up just outside the city limits, where at night if you looked up at the sky, you could see an abundance of stars. Wanting to be an astronaut when I was younger, I’ve always loved looking up at the stars and the moon. Now going to school in the city, I believe I have seen stars about six times, and one of the times was on the Atlanta Beltline at 2 a.m.
The disappearance of these stars is a result of light pollution. If you go to Cleardarksky.com, you can see how light pollution affects different parts of the city.
Stargazing is something that helps many people find peace. I am one of them. Saving the environment could help so many people rediscover that peace.
While many scientists are saying that it’s too late to fix global warming, we might just be able to save our planet if we come together. As I have said before, silence is our greatest enemy. This time, our silence is not just evil but deadly, and we are all its victims.
