Linda Gregory

Roylance, Abrams, Berdo & Goodman, LLP

Age 24

Washington, D.C., USA

Earth Day is important because… We are reminded how important our natural resources are and can learn to be conservative with what we use. There are enough resources to go around; it is just a matter of learning the disparity between what we need and what we think we need. Earth Day reminds me to use resources efficiently and consciously.

How can each of us protect our Earth… It starts with everyday tasks, like turning off the lights, not using as much water, substituting cleaning products at home with safer, more natural ones. Also, learning to avoid fast food and buying things in bulk to avoid unnecessary excess of packaging. This saves money and saves the earth.

I think that a lot of the offices in DC have not switched over to sensor-automated lights.  Even though we have switched over to energy efficient light bulbs, we're still using the same amount of light bulbs. It seems that we could great conserve electricity use in this way.   Another thing is that it is difficult to recycle in the city.  The past few months DC has implemented a plastic bag tax, and it seems to be promoting the use of storage bags.  In this way, Starbucks and other coffee shops promote the use of bringing in commuter mugs and offer a savings of  $.10 off your coffee, but restaurants should be promoting reuse of something else too.  We should all be a bit more aware with daily activities about reusing and limiting waste.