Green Ukraine 2030 

  Who hasn’t heard the phrase «The Earth is our home»? We all know that without it we won’t be able to survive. The Earth gives us everything that we have: food, water, shelter. So why instead of taking a proper care of it we are destroying it day after day? We can already see the dire consequences of our reckless behavior: global warming, holes in the ozone layer, biodiversity reduction and many others. 

    Nowadays, however, people are beginning to realize how important it is to change the situation. Environmental problem is becoming a burning issue. The governments in different countries have already set up a bunch of different environmental projects. It’s time for Ukraine to start to take this seriously too. 

    Here are some ideas that might be useful for the project «Green Ukraine 2030»

    The first thing to do would be carrying out an advertising campaign in mass media that will provide information about protection of the environment. In this way people will become aware of the scope of the problem and understand that is absolutely vital to do our bit in it. A lot of people don’t want to be involved in it because they think that being green is time-consuming and very expensive. However, most green technologies are designed to conserve energy and therefore can save us a lot of money. People should understand that there are so many easy ways to become more sustainable. We are all creatures of habit, and changing our behavior takes some time but if we don’t change our ways it will lead to the environmental catastrophe.  

Energy

• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. It will reduce our carbon footprint as these light bulbs save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
• Do not leave appliances on standby.
• Insulate and weatherize our home. Properly insulating our walls and ceilings can save 25% of our home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year
• To maximize the energy saving try to use less hot water, use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full and take a shower instead of a bath.

Mobility & Transportation

• To reduce the amount of exhaust fumes, decrease the number of miles we drive by walking or using a bike.
• Start a carpool with our coworkers or classmates. Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce the vehicle emissions considerably.
• Drive carefully and do not waste fuel. We can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by readjusting our driving style. Choose proper gears, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off our engine when a vehicle is motionless for more than one minute.
• When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle.We can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if our new cars get only 3 miles per gallon more than our current ones.

Landscape and Irrigation

• Use gutters or rain barrels to help capture rain water and direct it to areas where it can soak into the soil. This helps break down pollutants such as pesticides, herbicides, oils and greases that are harmful to the environment.
• To enrich the soil around the plants use compost. This will help to return nutrients to the soil that the plants need without adding chemical fertilizers.
• Since trees and other plants rely on their leaves to produce energy for their survival, always prune them sparingly. Overpruning can lead to dieback and loss of the plant.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

Reuse our shopping bags. When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Build a compost bin. We can reuse many waste items, such as eggshells and old tea bags, using it. This waste then degrades and turns into compost that can be used to help our gardens grow. Rechargeable batteries can be reused many times before they need throwing away, opposed to regular batteries that create unnecessary waste. Jars and pots. By cleaning glass jars and small pots, we can use them as small containers to store odds and ends.

    These are the simple rules that almost everyone has heard of. They do not require huge expenses from the government. What they require is personal responsibility and desire to help our environment. Doing them on a regular basis, we will avert an eco-disaster and make the place where we live better.