pollution

The environment is the place we live, work and play. You can be raised in a good environment or a bad one. Nowadays there are lot's of things affecting our environment and turning it into a bad one for everybody, pollution being the one we'll talk about now. I live in Irish countryside so the air here is clean enough but even if you drive out to Dublin there is a noticeable difference in the air quality.

Delhi is the worst city in terms of pollution and pollution in India at whole is estimated to kill 1.5 million people which makes it the fifth largest killer in the country. India is giant and the air quality differs depending on which part of India you're in but if you're visiting any big cities in India you should probably put on a face mask.

As India has a lot of other problems. pollution in India is not getting any better rather it's getting worst. China though, a very polluted nation, has had it's air get cleaner for quite a while in some areas because they are looking towards cleaner and more sustainable fuel.

Air pollution is a big problem in developing countries, especially in big cities. The new forms of transport like cars are a big factor in the the alarmingly rising air pollution in Uganda. Another problem is that developing countries like Uganda don't have the money to fight pollution and police the burning of rubbish and other things that pollute the air.

About 4.3 million people die in Uganda by causes that relate to air pollution. In Africa pollution causes more deaths than dirty water. The continent of Asia though is the most polluted. Pakistan on most sources seems to be the most polluted country in the world.

It's so scary that in Egypt living in some cities each day is like smoking a whole pack of cigarettes.

This pollution also affects the wildlife, mostly with plants. But animals do sometimes even get directly affected and no matter what it's still a big problem.

It's usually poor nations that have a lot of trouble with this as to stop pollution you need to get people out of poverty, adapt to clean energy and basically expensively raise awareness and maybe even make unpopular laws that the general public won't be happy with.

All this takes money and willingness to work together. It's great that China is now taking initiative and working towards more renewable and clean energy but it's just not possible in places that can't afford it, and the longer you wait to stop polluting, the harder it is.

It's a thing we need to work together for. So many children, adults, and eco-systems have been damaged or even have died from so much pollution.

Pollution is also a major contribute to climate change and a hole list of ecological disasters.

It causes many sicknesses as well, including.......

• Coronary artery disease. This disease gives you chest pain and shortness of breath, and if there are any complications Heart failure and abnormal heart rhythm.
• stroke
• chronic obstruction pulmonary disease which symptoms include Shortness of breath, cough with sputum production
• lung cancer
• acute lower respiratory infections in children (Symptoms include shortness of breath, weakness, fever, coughing and fatigue)

You see though, pollution doesn't just include air pollution but other things as well like

water pollution

soil pollution

noise pollution

radioactive pollution

heat pollution and

light pollution

All these things have different effects and i'm going to go through them with you.......

Now you know all about the different types of pollution you should be happy to try and prevent it and i'll give you tips on how...............

1. How to reduce your air polluting

• Check things before you buy. e.g no fast fashion
• Eat less meat
• Grow your own food
• Eat local and organicly
• Dry your clothes on the line

2. How to reduce your soil pollution

• buy products that are biodegradable
• If you have any chemicals or liquid waste always make sure that they are stored in spill-proof containers.
• Eat organic foods that are grown without any pesticides or fertilisers.
• Don’t use pesticides whenever you can.
• To collect engine oil always use a drip tray.
• Don't dump any oil on the ground
• Opt for products with less packaging

3. How to reduce your noise pollution

• You can get these 1" thick acoustic panels on your walls that help with sound absorption Make sure that any noisy machines have a room with a door so you can shut it out when you want.
• Putting up curtains can help with sound absorption while making your home more pleasing to the eye.
• Cork, cement, and floating wood floors all will help dampen the noise pollution inside your home.
• Rugs, wall hangings even framed painting or photos will keep the noise from banging off the walls

4.Radioactive pollution

Most people don't have problems with radioactive pollution as it is so dangerous its more of a priority than say, noise pollution. But if you ever do come across something radioactive don't touch it, get away from it and call the police

5.Heat pollution (This is rather what you can do rather than what big companies can do, but they can do a lot and if you'd like to know more click here)

• Save energy as it's production means burning of coal in thermal power plants that are used to heat up water. The steam from the heated up water creates steam that power turbines and then them in turn make electricity. However, the waste heat generated from thermal power plants is in large quantities and can cause excess thermal pollution
• Reuse heated water as boiling your kettle uses a lot of energy so find another use for your left over heated water.
• Plant trees.
• Use other sources of energy rather than use the one that uses heating water in it's production.
• For everyone raising awareness is always the right way to go so if you ever see or hear about any heat or thermal pollution in your area find a way to protest.

6.How to reduce your light pollution

• When throwing a party or any important advent that involves a lot of singing and shouting and lights, be considerate about other people and what they may be trying to do.
• Get thick curtains to block out any external (outside) light.
• When it's late dim your lights

How to reduce your plastic polluting

Anyway, to finish up, let us look at some ways you can reduce your plastic polluting (: (I got these tips from a organisation called 4ocean. They do amazing work and have lovely bracelets, which, if you buy them, is another way you can reduce plastic pollution!)

1. Say NO to plastic straws...

We use more than 500 MILLION plastic straws every single day. Think about it.

2. Bring a reusable shopping bag with you

More than 1 million bags are used across the globe every day and annually, about 500 billion plastic bags are produced.

3. Get rid of the plastic water bottle

A single person using a reusable, refillable water bottle instead of single-use plastic water bottles can save as much as 170 bottles from being produced each year. If a family of 5 all hopped on board with this greener practice, that means as a family they would stop about 850 water bottles from having to be produced.

4. Pack your lunch in glass containers instead of plastic

5. Avoid snacks/food with excess packaging

We're all guilty of this. You buy a huge plastic bag filled with even smaller plastic bags of snack-size chips. Think of all the unnecessary packing that goes into the food on the shelf. Also, some supermarkets will wrap each fruit or vegetable individually in plastic wrap. Instead of throwing it away, leave the plastic wrap with your grocer so that they can reuse it for other products.

6. Stop using plastic cutlery

When you get a take-out order, you will automatically be given a set of plastic cutlery. Before you take your food, make sure to ask for no plastic fork, spoon, or knife.

7. Choose cardboard over plastic when you can

Cardboard can be more easily recycled and unlike plastic, will biodegrade over time. While plastics can be recycled as well, buying products when you can that are in cardboard boxes such as laundry detergent will help to reduce the plastic that needs to be produced.

8. Swap out your plastic toothbrush

One billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown out every single year, creating about 50 million pounds of waste annually. There have not been any scientific research results that plastic toothbrushes perform better over bamboo ones. Just like plastic toothbrushes, bamboo brushes needed to be replaced just as often, about every 3 months, but the handle of a bamboo toothbrush only takes about 6 months to biodegrade back into the soil. On the other hand, a plastic toothbrush will never biodegrade and will remain in the environment forever.

9. Avoid cosmetic products that contain microbeads

The UK is the latest country to issue a ban which will become effective beginning in July of this year. Millions of plastic microbeads are washed down the drain each year, posing a serious threat to marine life who mistake these small plastic particles for food. Choose bath and shower soaps that do not contain microbeads the next time you go to purchase one of these items.

10. Choose metal over plastic razors

Sure, a metal razor may be a little heavier to hold than a plastic one, but the long-term result of discarded plastic razors is even heavier on the heart. 2 BILLION plastic razors are discarded every year - and discarded does not mean they were recycled. Invest a little more into a reusable metal razor and ditch the plastic - but in a recycle bin!

11. Get the hang of using wire hangers

Unfortunately, almost every single garment sent over also comes on its own individual hanger - meaning 30-40 billion hangers are sent to the US every year.

12. Switch to e-billing

It's 2018... and you still get your bills mailed to you? E-billing may very well be one of the most overlooked green practices that we could all be doing. While there may not be a whole lot of plastic involved with receiving bills in the mail, there are many over ecological benefits for signing up for e-billing. The average American household can save 6.6 pounds of paper each year and avoid producing 171 pounds of greenhouse emissions. Call your billing provider today to get started on a more eco-friendly way to pay bills.

13. Paper newspapers are a thing of the past

Chances are, whatever headlining story will be on the front page of the newspaper has already aired on every televised news station and you've already read about it online. If you don't want to give up the joy of reading a newspaper, sign up for an electronic one! 14. If it's plastic, think twice.

While this last point is not a specific item, we realize that there are many other ways to help reduce your plastic intake than the 13 listed on this. Everything from the toys that kids are playing with to the many plastic supplies used for a birthday party, plastic items are all around us. While we understand that avoiding plastic at all costs is near impossible, I encourage you to avoid it when possible and to think twice before purchasing a plastic item that can easily be replaced.

Pollution: Finale

So, hopefully after acquiring the knowledge of each (main) type of pollution, and acquiring the knowledge of how to reduce your said emissions of that pollution, you will be able to put these into action and change some parts of your life so you can be more sustainable (Hopefully at least) Anyway, to make sure of this, I have some homework for you to complete (this is to make sure you have been paying attention throughout the course and to see if you are going to do good with your new information).

Steps to complete your assignment:

• Write a short summary of what you have learned.
• Write a piece on what you are going to do with the new found knowledge.
• Tell me what you have learned from other sites or youtube channels.
• Give feedback on what I should change

Thank you for taking part in seendoo courses and I’ll update you if anything extra is added (: