This essay argues that adopting a "green" lifestyle offers practical benefits beyond environmental idealism. The paper presents three central reasons to go green: reducing waste removal costs through recycling and cleaner infrastructure, eliminating hazardous pollutants — particularly from illegally exported electronic waste — and cultivating a more natural, stress-free lifestyle by reconnecting with the environment. Drawing on examples such as New York City's water-based waste rail system and Greenpeace's reporting on e-waste exportation, the essay makes an accessible, evidence-supported case that going green is economically sensible, environmentally necessary, and personally rewarding for individuals and communities alike.
This paper demonstrates effective use of the classic five-paragraph persuasive essay structure — introduction with thesis, three body paragraphs each anchored to a distinct claim, and a summary conclusion. Each body paragraph introduces a point, supports it with cited evidence, and ties it back to the central thesis. This approach is ideal for undergraduate-level argumentative writing where clarity and logical flow are prioritized.
The essay opens by contextualizing the environmental problem and stating a three-part thesis. Three body sections follow in order: economic savings from green waste management, reduction of e-waste pollution, and lifestyle benefits of living closer to nature. The conclusion restates each point succinctly before closing with a motivational appeal to the reader's personal experience of nature.
Even if you don't believe the world is ending like it did in disaster movies The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, there are still plenty of good reasons to "go green." Did you know that until the 1970s most trash was dumped straight into holes in the ground, where over time it released hazardous chemicals and methane gas — "20 times more potent than carbon dioxide" — straight into the atmosphere (Palmer)? Today, laws are in place to ensure that methane is collected at these landfills, but collecting it requires expensive plumbing, which means that big cities like New York now have to ship their garbage to large dumping facilities prepared to handle the waste. New York spends $1 billion annually on trash and recycling collection (Iannucci). So what can you do about it? Going green can help you do quite a lot, actually. To "go green" means to lead a life that is good for you and for your environment. This paper presents three ways that going green can improve life: by cutting waste removal costs, reducing pollution, and providing a more natural, healthy lifestyle.
First, going green can cut down on costs related to waste. Mayor Bloomberg, for instance, implemented a waste removal system based on a water rail network. This approach cuts down both on cost and on land-fuel emissions. Alternative fuels are helping to reduce the toxins emitted by diesel fuel trucks, and recycling facilities are being constructed to cut down on the amount of waste being sent to landfills. In the long run, greener garbage trucks mean a greener environment, and more recycling means fewer hazardous emissions into the atmosphere. Bloomberg believed "that cutting the emissions and cost will save on the financial and economic health and well-being of the residents and the community" (Iannucci).
Learning how to use energy more efficiently — such as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs — can also cut energy costs and reduce monthly household expenditure. How much money is wasted annually by leaving lights on or by failing to invest in clean, renewable energy? It is a question that more people might ask if they are genuinely interested in saving money.
Second, going green can help eliminate harmful and hazardous pollutants. E-waste is one of the biggest sources of pollution in the world. E-waste landfills are filled with old electronic technology such as cell phones, computers, laptops, televisions, and copiers — materials that do not break down or decay. Electronic waste has increasingly been shipped illegally across borders. As Greenpeace reports, "E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries to developing ones, often in violation of international law… In the UK alone, at least 23,000 metric tons of undeclared or 'grey' market electronic waste was illegally shipped in 2003 to the Far East, India, Africa, and China" ("Where Does E-waste End Up?"). Up to 80% of e-waste in the U.S. is exported in such a manner, Greenpeace states.
Why is this troublesome? Electronics contain many toxic chemicals, such as mercury, that seep into the soil and water of communities when left to rot in landfills. To help prevent this, one can go green by holding onto electronic devices for as long as possible. Not only does this save money — since it means you don't have to rush out and purchase the latest device — but it also means fewer pollutants released into the world. If you must dispose of an electronic device, consider recycling it. You can even encourage your local government to establish an electronics recycling program if one does not already exist.
To summarize, going green offers genuine benefits. First, it can save money by cutting down on waste removal costs — it is not as simple as one might think to dispose of mountains of garbage, and recycling and conserving are two ways to scale back the waste that is so costly to eliminate. Second, it can reduce the hazardous pollutants that accompany waste, such as the mercury that seeps into soil and water from e-waste. Third, it can put our bodies and minds in greater harmony with nature, which has its own wonderful capacity to sustain itself.
You don't have to be a "tree-hugger" or a doomsday prophet to go green. Going green simply makes sense from both an economic and a mind-body health perspective. In a world of high-tech, high-rises, and high stress levels, remind yourself what it is you love about "getting away" to the country or the park — and then consider whether you can bring some of that green back with you.
Iannucci, Lisa. "Where Does the Garbage Go?" The Cooperator. 2006. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Palmer, Brian. "Go West, Garbage Can!" Slate. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
"Where Does E-waste End Up?" Greenpeace. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
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