6 Seemingly Harmless Actions That Destroy Our Planet

In recent decades, the problem of environmental pollution has become increasingly present. And because of that, more and more people are trying to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle, as well as taking part in different viral challenges like the “Trashtag Challenge” with the aim of helping our planet. However, sometimes we perform actions that seem harmless, but still unconsciously contaminate nature. For example, in honor of some memorable event, we throw hundreds or even thousands of balloons into the sky.

O awesome.club suggests seriously evaluating and reviewing some of our actions to draw correct conclusions. So how do we harm the world around us?

The tradition of throwing “wishing balloons” into the sky, fortunately, is becoming less and less popular, as it poses serious fire hazards: candles that do not go out before falling to the ground burn forests, roofs and even destroy entire fields of trees. planting. As a result, there were cases of power cuts and residential fires, which caused human losses. In the UK, because of a flashlight, an entire plastic processing plant caught fire. In this video you can see the magnitude of the fire.

At the same time, few people realize that Chinese lanterns are also deadly for animals, especially for livestock that ingests the metal structure of fallen lanterns along with the grass. Other animals, including dogs, injure their paws on this wire, and small animals, such as birds, become entangled in it and die. Furthermore, lanterns that do not completely burn in air become garbage that pollutes the environment when they fall to the ground. This photo was taken in the Muir of Dinnet National Reserve in Scotland.

For these reasons, in many countries it is forbidden to release Chinese lanterns. So, in Russia, since 2014 it is forbidden to launch them in cities, towns and near green areas. In England, this imposes a fine of £2,500. In Brazil, you can get 3 years in prison for releasing São João balloons, which can be considered equivalent to a Chinese lantern – the act is considered a crime due to the risk of causing fires.

Sadly, tragedies sometimes claim innocent lives, even children. At times like this, the inhabitants of different cities organize memorials in which they deposit flowers and stuffed animals. Thus, people who are not indifferent to the pain of others express their grief and support for the victims’ families.

After a while, when the emotions subside and the pain subsides, life takes its course. Then the rational question arises: what to do with withered flowers and dirty toys? In the case of flowers, you can safely take them to the trash cans and leave them there. Toys, on the other hand, end up becoming a real obstacle for people. Most of the time, they are simply taken to a landfill, although many people object to this and suggest that they be washed and donated to orphanages or children from low-income families — and this is what happens in many countries.

What do you do when you want to express your grief for those who lost their lives? We have no right to indicate what to do in those moments when the heart is torn apart by grief, but we can only give one piece of advice: if you buy stuffed animals for the memorial, think about where they will end up later. Some social media users believe that it is better to abandon this tradition and instead make donations to help those affected.

Packaging serves not only to attract customers with its colorful appearance, but also to protect and preserve the product. What happens is that many manufacturers, to put it mildly, overdo it and use it in large quantities, and even when they don’t need it. Here an example:

It can be argued that we are just ordinary consumers and have nothing to do with it, since the producers themselves pollute our planet. But remember when you pack the gifts for parties or events. All those boxes and papers end up in landfills (and, unfortunately, not all cities have a separate collection for organic waste and material for recycling). Here is an example of photos taken immediately after Christmas.

In fact, in 2015, in China alone, international courier service companies delivered about 20 billion orders using 8.27 billion plastic bags and 9.92 billion packing boxes with adhesive tape. And almost all of it ended up in landfills.

Then, How can we reverse this situation? First, at least, don’t wrap gifts in non-biodegradable wrappers and don’t use unnecessary extra boxes. Second: try to buy items with less packaging.

Because of material consumption culture, people buy absolutely unnecessary and useless things. And usually this happens without thinking or due to a wave of popularity. For example, the spinner toy is no longer in fashion. And now imagine where the millions and millions of these unsold objects end up.

And unfortunately, gadgets as absurd as disposable chargers are increasingly popular. It is believed that they are used once and then discarded as unnecessary. But the elements that the batteries of such devices contain are much more dangerous for nature than ordinary rubbish.

What can we do about it? Don’t buy absurd inventions from unknown “geniuses”. Especially when the cost of these chargers is 2-3 dollars, but the total cost of external batteries is 10-15 dollars. Only when there is no demand will the sale of such devices gradually disappear.

In pursuit of profits, the major manufacturers in the smartphone market produce new cell phone launches at an average of almost twice a year. At the same time, new functions are built into phones that are actually not necessary for most people, such as a fingerprint scanner or a front camera. Although, for some reason, a lot of people think differently and undoubtedly want to have the latest device models, forcing manufacturers to continue to produce new phones.

You may ask: what does the contamination of the planet have to do with all this phone business? Here’s the other side of the coin. Due to the fact that one generation of cell phones is quickly replaced by the next, many accessories remain unsold, in particular covers and cases that no longer fit the latest models. As a result, it all ends up in a recycle bin.

The author of this photo says that every year he observes similar images, when tens of thousands of cases and covers for Samsung and iPhone cell phones turn out to be unnecessary because of the release of new models. And that’s just in your city. How many similar situations occur around the world?

What should we do? Stop participating in the mad rush for new devices, because manufacturers have long exhausted the limit of new ideas, and very often the next generation of phones is no different from the previous one. Well, except for the design and availability of some unnecessary new features.

In many countries, the tradition of throwing balloons into the sky has become a custom of some festivities, events dedicated to commemorative dates and tragic events. It looks beautiful and touching, but such an action that seems completely harmless causes irreparable harm to nature. And sometimes, according to experts, it leads to the painful death of animals and birds.

No one wonders what happens to balloons when they get out of sight. No, they don’t fly into space. What happens is that they burst or start to deflate at a height of
3 to 4 kilometers and fall to the ground at a distance of 50 to 100 kilometers — sometimes up to a thousand kilometers from where they were launched.

The remains of latex tied with nylon threads pollute the cleanest and most remote places on our planet. In addition, they kill various animals, such as birds and inhabitants of the seas and oceans, who mistake this garbage for food and, in other cases, get caught in the wires. When this happens, most of the time they are sentenced to death.

For these reasons, in many cities across the planet a partial or complete ban on launching balloons into the sky during festivities or other events has been implemented. A non-profit organization, Balloons Blow, educates the public about the dangers balloons pose to animals, people and the environment in general. On its website and Instagram, the entity clearly shows the consequences of this, posting images of injured or dead animals.

What to do if you really want to demonstratively celebrate any holiday or honor the memory of those who are no longer with us? You can, for example, neatly plant some trees, make repairs to rides in a park, install benches, monuments or other objects to commemorate an event. The same cash budget will be spent, but it will not be thrown to the wind, and it will bring real benefits to people. And, most importantly, nature will be enormously grateful.

If releasing balloons into the sky affects nature so negatively, what other beneficial action could you replace this harmful tradition with?