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Did you know that recycling one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb
for four hours? Or that recycling every newspaper would save about 250 million trees each year?
These are only a few examples of the positive impact that governments can have on the environment
with laws and policies focused on environmental sustainability.
Issues such as reduced clean air and water supply are modern-day problems that need to
be addressed on the local and international level. Roughly one third of food produced
for human consumption gets lost or is wasted each year. Approximately 14 billion pounds
of garbage are dumped into the ocean every year. This pollution not only affects the
world's environment, but also our personal health. Pollution is one of the biggest global
health threats, affecting more than 100 million people.
In the United States, a number of cities are making concerted efforts to reduce waste.
One of the leaders in implementing environmentally friendly policies is San Francisco, California.
San Francisco salvages a 70 percent of its waste due to mandatory recycling and composting.
The citizens of this city voted to ban environmentally harmful products like plastic grocery bags
and have allotted funding towards renewable energy for public facilities. Nearly half
of San Francisco residents bike, walk, or take public transit every day.
Another leader in "green" initiatives is Chicago, Illinois. The United Nations chose this city
as one of the top U.S. cities in addressing climate change and greener living. Since 1989 the
city has planted 500,000 trees, installed 10,000 bike racks, and established 114 miles
of bike lanes. Chicago demolished a downtown airport in order to build a 100-acre park.
Most striking, though, are the city's beautiful rooftop gardens. Chicago boasts more than 2.5 million square feet of
gardens located on the roofs of public and private buildings. The city hopes to continue
these "green" initiatives in order to reduce greenhouse emissions by 80 percent come 2050.
Boston, Massachusetts is recognized for promoting renewable energy. One of the top three sources
of electricity for the city is wind, with a turbine located atop city hall. The city
also creatively reuses fall leaves for fertilizer and recycles trash to power homes. All Boston
taxis will be required to go hybrid by 2015 and the city uses LED traffic lights, which
saves them nearly $400,000 a year.
From global warming to endangered wildlife, the human footprint on the world has shown
how we can harm our planet. However, thanks to examples set by "green" cities like San
Francisco, Chicago, and Boston, American communities are creating innovative solutions to the environmental
problems of today. Through their endeavors, these cities exhibit how local, innovative
efforts today can make a significant impact tomorrow.