by Natalina Oliverio

Created on: June 07, 2009   Last Updated: June 08, 2009

A lot of kids get picked on in school, many receive insulting nicknames which they will spend the rest of their lives trying to forget. In high school I was no exception, however the name those kids were yelling at me was "Tree Hugger". That was OK with me and in my adult life I have done my best to remember this nickname. I started an Environmental Club at my high school and continued to participate in conservation efforts throughout college. During my time at Purdue University I took several courses on environmental policy and Earth science. I do understand the scientific reasons for conservation but I find it all much simpler than that.

When my friends and colleagues ask me why they should care about how much electricity they use I explain the immediate problems caused by our current energy production methods. I tell them that for every second they leave a light on or use the air conditioning they are causing a higher demand for energy. Because we tend to get energy from coal fired power plants this causes huge amounts of chemical waste to be released into the air. Areas with factories have much higher rates of asthma and health problems.

Consumers need to recognize and assume the power that they hold. It is important to look at the money that you spend, every dollar as a vote. I constantly hear people complain about the utility companies, without making any real effort to decrease usage. If consumers all of the country stand up to the energy providers and demand cleaner sources, we will get just that. The utility companies cannot survive without the income generated from high electricity, water and gas usage. These companies understand the basic laws of supply and demand and have used it to their advantage for decades, it is time consumers banded together to use it to our own advantage.

Even though I know that I am conserving and sacrificing while others are not, I still benefit from the changes in lifestyle I have made. I know that the air outside my door is cleaner because I use less. I know that my daughter has a cleaner place to live than if I hadn't watched my consuption all of these years. I know that less people will develop diseases thanks to less chemicals existing in the air around them. I hope that more people will join the green movement and clean up this once beautiful planet. I think if more people had that attitude we would be able to clean up this country, and maybe even the world.

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