Humans are said to be the smart species. We have the ability to think, to learn, to invent stuff and even go to the moon! You don’t see your dog going to the moon – as much as he might like to howl at it! But why then do the animals and nature in general seem so much better at keeping our world beautiful and clean than we do ourselves?
There is a lot we can learn about looking after the planet if only we pay attention to the simple things around us. We can encourage people to recycle their bottles – but there are so many other ways you can recycle and keep the earth clean.
Think about how nature and it’s animals look after the environment – your cat buries its deposits, dung beetles clean up the cow’s dung and the maggots eat away at the rotting flesh of the dead animals! All are helping in a natural process to keep the earth clean. Then take a step further… think about the carbon cycle… The plants absorb carbon to help them grow. They grow big and tasty and an animal might come along and eat the plant and now, thanks to the carbon it is getting, it too will grow. One day that animal will die and, when it does, the natural bodily processes release the carbon back into the air and, you guessed it! The plants absorb it all over again.
The water cycle is similar. The plants take the water out of the ground; water is released from the plants as hydrogen and reacts with the oxygen in the air to create rain, dew and frost. And then the whole process will start all over again.
These carbon and water cycles are just nature’s way of recycling and not creating waste. As humans are the creators of the majority of the rubbish it is important that we are all future thinking and careful with how we treat the world. We do, after all, want it to still be here for our children and their children. So we too should recycle! Over fifty percent of household trash is recyclable – and by recycling you are taking the old, processing it and coming up with something new. It too is a cycle that can go around and around. A much better option than just allowing things to be carted off to the landfill – where different products that could be turned into something new in a day will sit for hundreds of years as they break down again.
So – what should you do? Take a look around your house. That newspaper is recyclable. So is that jar you just threw into the bin. Keep going… that old rocking chair that is broken can be processed back to wood to make something new. And yes – the working parts in your old microwave can make something else go! Find out where your local recycling centre is and pay them a visit. Find out what they will take off you – you’d be amazed by what they want! Get yourself a separate bin and keep one just for all the stuff that has the little recycle symbol on it. If the recycling centre does not collect it, take it down there and tip all your junk into their pile. Then give yourself a pat on the back for making a difference. That is one less box of stuff going to the tip and while it may not seem much to you imagine how much trash would be reduced if everyone did it!!
But why stop there? Encourage your parents to buy recycled products. Keep your old laundry detergent containers and fill them up with the refill packets you get at the supermarket. Not only is their packaging recyclable too, you are saving money because the packaging is easier to make. Not to mention that the packaging in refill packets tends to be easier to recycle as well. But don’t stop! Grab yourself books made with recycled paper for school, put your vegies in a brown paper bag instead of the plastic one and even reach for the recycled toilet paper – it’s not what you think!
But seriously, by recycling and choosing recycled products we are not only protecting the Earth but we are also protecting ourselves. By recycling you make that litter something usable again but also making products out of recycled material is easier than starting all over. Which means that there is less pollution going into the air and less of our natural resources being used. Think of all the trees that are cut down every year just to make your schoolbooks. Recycling all of these can and does save trees, which are not only important for a beautiful world but also important in the process of sustaining our natural resources. If you just look at the water cycles – without the trees providing the hydrogen there would be no water!
Believe it or not making a product from a recycled source can save up to eighty percent of the energy and natural resources required to make the product from scratch. And that is an awful lot.
By recycling you are ensuring that the Earth stays beautiful for longer. Recycling allows us to turn waste into reusable materials. It allows us to save our natural resources. It stops the world from being full of landfills where, after you have left the planet, your coke bottle is still under the rest of the garbage breaking down.
Encourage your family and friends to recycle. Start a campaign at school. Lead by example. One person really can make a world of difference.
Recyling in The Tribe
Almost everything in The Tribe is recycled. There are no factories left running that are able to package things or make anything new!
In The Tribe the kids are forced to find and scavenge for everything they might want. Things are hard to find these days as implements of the old days become more and more scarce.
Their clothes have to be found or traded. Someone in Tribeworld is making a lot of money from recycling old clothes and making them funky!!
Jack and Dal loved to make new things out of old things. They were constantly searching for bits and pieces that would make their gadgets work. Batteries were in high demand and having a battery recharger was like gold. But after the Techno’s came along, power was available and suddenly a whole lot of electrical appliances could be used again!
In the early days a lot of electrical appliances were probably chucked out or put away – they’re not much use without power! But if the power is back on then these are ultimately recycled by being used again.
Bottles and containers are recycled and used carefully because if they’re broken there’s not much chance of finding new ones.
It’s hard to think that you could never have something new off the shelves of a shop again. But when you’re forced to recycle everything you have, then you start to have a great imagination. Old things actually become new things. You end up being more creative with the things that you do have.
Recycling can be very rewarding.