Description

Sample Research Paper Janice Baldwin-Hench Trash and Treasure Reduce, reuse, recycle—these are words I used to hear, approve of, and forget in my everyday life. I agreed that they were noble goals and wondered when some of the big fast food chains would stop creating a small mound of trash with each dinner they sold. It took three steps to help me figure out that I didn't have to wait for corporate giants to do something about trash; I could start a little green revolution in my own home and backyard. (narration) The "recycle" part came first. The ecology committee of my church introduced me to the black recycling igloo that now sits in my backyard. It is home to all my fruit and veggie scraps. These join weeds l from the garden and dry grasses I cut down in mid-March to form compost. Igloos also played a part in the other things I recycled: glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans. My son loved the idea that he could throw bottles and hear them break at the recycling station created in our township. Curbside recycling made recycling easier (but perhaps not as much fun). Next came "reduce." In 2005, my husband and I helped our mothers move from single family homes to retirement communities. The good news is that both moms have been healthy and happy in their new homes since then. The bad news was we had to sort through decades of keepsakes, furniture, clothes, and cookware that exceeded their new space. The experience convinced us to de-clutter and downsize before the job got passed on to our kids. Finally, I understood "reuse" both as a donor and purchaser. It was so much easier to clear out unwanted items from our lives when the trash can was not the only option. We became frequent donors to thrift stores and the good causes they sponsor. I have to admit that I had never shopped at a thrift store, but once I looked around, I saw some really nice things for great prices. At the same time, my husband and I bought a retirement house .There would be five years between buying the house and retiring to it, so how could we furnish it nicely until we were ready to move in our "good" stuff' I realized that I was standing in the answer: thrift stores! The final irony is that we have come to like our thrift store purchases so much that our "good" furniture will need a new home when we retire. (cause/effect) Why worry about trash' Each American generates about four pounds of trash per day. That makes about 1500 pounds per year ("Amount of Garbage That Humans Make Annually" ). That figure means that each one of us throws away the equivalent of just over six NFL fullbacks per year, and it takes us just over six years to throw away 9200 pounds of trash, the equivalent of the average African elephant. This trash goes into landfills and incinerators. "Dramatically decreasing waste disposed in landfills and incinerators will reduce greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent to closing 21 percent of U.S. coal-fired power plants - comparable to leading climate protection proposals such as improving national vehicle fuel efficiency" ("Amount of Garbage That Humans Make Annually"). Why recycle' In addition to living a less cluttered life, I know that donations to thrift stores support good causes. It seems to be a win-win situation. If we look at just one thrift store, Goodwill Industries, we can see the results of recycling. "More than 170,000 people obtained meaningful employmentin 2010 through their participation in Goodwill programs. These people went on to earn over $2.7 billion in salaries and wages, and contributed to their communities as productive, tax-paying citizens" (About Us). (argumentation) So I took the first step in my own little effort to make the planet climatically and economically friendlier. I reduce, reuse, and recycle myself. Now I'm going to take step two and urge you to join me. If you choose to compost, recycle glass, paper, plastic, and metal, and patronize thrift stores as both a donor and purchaser, then we will be saving almost eight pounds of trash a day from going into landfills and incinerators. There are benefits to us individually and as a society. We have less stuff to keep track of in our houses and fewer garbage cans to haul to the curb. We may be able to find items at thrift stores for far less than we would pay in full-price stores. Our gardens grow more abundantly with compost and help us avoid the application of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We are also taking action to reduce the impact of landfills and incinerators, and supporting thrift stores' good causes like employment training, or help for women suffering domestic abuse. Does it take a little time' It does, but so does dusting all that stuff or boxing it for the attic. Can one person make a difference' Yes—four pounds worth every day! And we don't have to wait around for anyone else to lead the way. Our own little green revolution starts as soon as we want it to. (884 words) Bibliography "About Us." Goodwill Industries International. Goodwill Industries International, 20. Web. 19 May 2011. .