With everything going on in the world, It’s time to reassess which of our actions are causing the catastrophes. Every single day people lose their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and their sources of living due to the natural disasters that are hitting their areas. In 2019 alone, approximately 11,000 people all over the world died because of calamity events like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc. Not to mention the billions worth of properties and businesses that got destroyed during those events. The world is changing out there. Species of animals getting endangered, bodies of water drying out, our air getting polluted that it causes our bodies complications when we inhale it – the planet is losing its balance.
To think that our world was once perfect and beautiful. Imagine how our ancestors’ lives are like living in a world with fresh air, no extreme climate, and no pollution in the water. So, what are we doing wrong?
We know that the major contributor to climate change is high emissions of carbon dioxide caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Although we cannot do anything about these large corporate oil and gas companies, there is something that we individuals can contribute to the betterment of our planet. There is nothing we can control except our actions.
“Small changes have big impacts,” this is what EcoFreek believes. They aim to influence other people to start doing these small changes with the primary mission in mind of saving planet earth.
What is EcoFreek?
EcoFreek is an environmental conservation organisation founded by Viktorija Zenkova. She has been an advocate of environmental conservation since she was young. Viktorija noticed how her surroundings are starting to change as the people around her are losing more and more interest in taking care of the environment. It pushed her to do her research about climate change and the actions to stop it and start conducting workshops, influencing other people to start acting against global warming. And with her passion for creating more significant positive environmental impacts, she decided to broaden her audience by creating EcoFreek and a website that contains all her knowledge.
The creation of the EcoFreek website aims to inspire and share with people all over the world the small changes they can start incorporating in their lives to help in saving the environment. It contains various articles regarding different ways and products that we can use as an alternative in our everyday items and practices that are bad for the environment. EcoFreek provides necessary information about biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable materials and the importance of the 3Rs – reuse, reduce, recycle.
Best believe that we’ve been reading EcoFreek’s articles and here are what we’ve learned so far:
The importance of proper waste disposal
EcoFreek explained the difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Biodegradeable pertains to the materials that can naturally break down because of the bacteria and other organisms that are eating off of them. Examples of materials that can decompose through time are paper, plants, fruits, etc. which are all acquired from nature.
Rubber, plastic, metals, on the other hand, are considered as non-biodegradable materials which means they cannot decompose – not until after hundreds of years. These materials will remain as clutter on the earth’s surface and pollute the environment. Purposely destroying them isn’t safe as well. Since harmful chemicals are used to produce these materials, burning them will result in dangerous fumes emitted in the atmosphere.
EcoFreek revealed that some plastic products claimed to have the ability to biodegrade. However, most of them still aren’t able to keep up with the standards of biodegradability. Furthermore, EcoFreek pointed out that the carelessness of people on littering anywhere is still one of the significant issues of waste disposal. And those who are affected the most with this incompetence are the animals. Aside from this, our health becomes at risk too since improperly disposed waste pollute both the air we inhale and the water we drink.
With this, Ecofreek continuously researches for the best biodegradable products and alternatives that we should use in our everyday living as well as the practices that we can apply in our routines.
Why we should start reusing
EcoFreek teaches us that reusing materials and products that are readily available in your home will also help in reducing waste. Our main goal here is to prevent these materials from getting dumped in landfills. Landfills are one of the primary sources of methane emissions in our atmosphere. The more waste that is dumped there, the higher the number of harmful greenhouse gases getting into the air, which are the main reasons for ozone depletion and global warming.
The website has multiple articles regarding the best reusable products that you can purchase. These serve as a replacement for your single-use materials like straws, bags, water bottles, menstrual pads, cotton pads, etc. We can use EcoFreek’s articles as a guide on how we can start a waste-free life.
Which materials need to be recycled
Recycling can be done by repurposing household materials to create a new useful product. Through recycling, we prevent these materials from being dumped into landfills. The website has a full list of recyclable materials which includes paper, cardboard, books, and most especially plastic.
According to EcoFreek, plastic bags can be recycled by cleaning them and collecting them in one bin. Once you’ve gathered a decent amount of it, head to your local grocery store and donate them so that they can use them again.
EcoFreek also provides ways on how to recycle unusual products like ink cartridges, Christmas lights, batteries and more. However, they believe that the practice of reducing and refusing is much better. Now that the system of recycling and waste management of some communities tends to change, we individuals should be more mindful of what we purchase. EcoFreek encourages us not to buy excessive products that we’re not even going to use and start refusing single-use products.
These are only some of the information you can acquire from EcoFreek’s website. If you want to do your part in saving our environment, then head on over and start educating yourself. As you can see, there are practices and habits that you can implement in your life without stress and worry. All you have to do is be more mindful of your actions. Remember what EcoFreek said, “small changes have big impacts.”