_Fanfic_Writers_'s Report

Introduction

What can one individual do to protect the environment? Very little, it may seem, especially compared to the power of governments and huge industrial companies. However, working together with dozens, hundreds, or millions of other people, we can influence and change policies that are destroying our environment. Everywhere we go, there's something we litter.

What is Pollution?

Pollution is the contamination of air, water, and soil. Pollution causes disease among natural life, including people too. It is the presence or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects. There are different types of pollution: water pollution, air pollution, solid waste pollution, and noise pollution. All of these can be found in urban areas. The main sources of pollution are household activities, factories, agriculture, and transport.

Effects of Pollution

Look at any ecosystem and there could be multiple forms of contamination—streams full of toxic chemicals from industrial processes, rivers overloaded with nutrients from farms, trash blowing away from landfills, city skies covered in smog. Even landscapes that appear pristine can experience the effects of pollution sources located hundreds or thousands of miles away. Pollution may muddy landscapes, poison soils, and waterways, or kill plants and animals. Humans are also regularly harmed by pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution, for example, can lead to chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, and other diseases. Toxic chemicals that accumulate in top predators can make some species unsafe to eat. More than one billion people lack access to clean water and 2.4 billion don't have adequate sanitation, putting them at risk of contracting deadly diseases. To just summarize it all, many different types of pollution affect any living thing. It comes from cars and trucks, factories, power plants, incinerators, engines—anything that combusts fossil fuels such as coal gas or natrual gas  Once the liquid becomes solid - sweep it up and throw it in a garbage can.

What Can We Do to Help?

1. Cleanups can save lives and discourage people from littering in the future. For instance, over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year. 

 2. Carpool, use public transportation, bike, or walk whenever possible. 

 3. Follow gasoline refueling instructions for efficient vapor recovery, being careful not to spill fuel, and always tightening your gas cap securely. 

 4. Consider purchasing portable gasoline containers labeled "spill-proof," where available. 

 5. Keep your car, boat, and other engines properly tuned. 

 6. Be sure your tires are properly inflated. 

 7. Use environmentally safe paints and cleaning products whenever possible. 

 8. Mulch or compost leaves and yard waste. Or, leave it in your yard if you can't compost. Don't blow leaves into the street. This clogs and damages storm drains. 

 9. Consider using gas logs instead of wood. 

 10. Conserve energy - at home, at work, everywhere. 

 11. Refuel your car in the evening. It's cooler! 

 12. Keep your air conditioning/something like that no lower than 78° in the summer, and 68° in the winter. In the summer, try to use fans instead of air conditioning...but in July it's not like we don't expect you not to put air conditioning sometimes, though. 

 13. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Do the three "R"s, and it steps one more leap for saving our environment. 

 14. Pick up litter and throw it away in a garbage can. 

 15. Blow or sweep fertilizer back onto the grass if it gets onto paved areas. Don't put fertilizer on the grass right before it rains. The chemicals will wash into storm drains and waterways. 

 16. Wash your car or outdoor equipment where it can flow to gravel or grassed area instead of a street. 

 17. Don't pour your motor oil down the storm drain. Take it to the nearest auto parts store. This is free! 

18. Never clean up a spill by hosing it into a storm drain. Use dry methods like placing kitty litter, sand, or another absorbent on the the spill. Once the liquid becomes solid - sweep it up and throw it in a garbage can. 

 19. Any suggestions? Please notify us! We will add it ASAP. 

Conclusion

Much is being done to control, monitor, and rectify the damage done by pollutants. The problems are diverse and some are only being recognized but it is important to keep close control over pollutants so that we can maintain the environment in an acceptable condition for future generations. However, you can still help. Stop pollution! How? Follow the steps above. The main procedures are easy and well know: One, turn off lights when you leave; Two, DO NOT TRAVEL in any fossil-fuel using vehicle if not necessary. Three, avoid using any equipment that might cause pollution too much. Four, The three "R"s are here for a reason! Although you doing this may seem like only a tiny step, it's a leap for our environment. Know that you are doing things right, and we encourage you to help the entire world, wherever you are.