Some people have the thought that smoking “isn’t hurting nobody but myself by choice” but sadl this is not true – it’s hurting the environment and the planet as a whole. Think about where all the cigarette butts go. Where’s their afterlife? – landfills and your water streams that everyone drinks from…
Of course we all are aware that smoking can severely damage our body but have you thought about the bigger picture of that smoke being constantly released in the air? Have you thought or considered what the cigarette butt pollution can do? Granted we can not tell you what to do but we do want to make you aware of the dull circle and how something as smoking can be more than “I’m not hurting anyone or anything else but myself” ideal. These other environmental factors are no less important than your own health and should be examined as well.
The amount of pollution the smoking process creates is exponential. It begins at the first stage of growth. Tobacco farmers want to get their greatest return on their product and to do that means to speed up the growing process, in doing this pesticides upon pesticides are sprayed on their crops. It is said that large tobacco producers spray over 16 times per field of crops from planting until it’s full growth. We all know pesticides are harmful to be used repetitively on crops – at least I think that’s common sense. Pesticides can have serious harmful effects on your health and the environment. It can harm animals, insects, and all of the above because pesticides can seep into anything from water to food. They can even impair the cognitive development of young growing children. Not only can they harm you children they can be deadly. Can you believe a MILLION people die annually from pesticide-induced poisoning. And how often do you hear of this? How much of this is covered on the news?
Animal populations are dying. Think it’s a natural thing? Think again. Studies have shown that continual exposure to the insecticide commonly know as DDT has caused egg-shell thinning which in turn has lead to the bald eagle population declining significantly in the last ten years. Again, these pesticides seep in our water, soil, air, and then into us.
So let’s bring this back to the center, with the excessive amount of pesticides needed to grow and produce tobacco- this effects unforeseen victims. The progressive bigger issue with tobacco is that smoking it double pollutes the air, soil, water, and people. Inhaling the smoke and releasing it into the air and then discarding the cigarette butt on the ground and then it rains and drains all the chemicals out the paper into the soil. Are we recognizing the never ending polluting cycle?! Why are cigarette legal?! Sadly since the “business” is so lucrative- saving the earth and people isn’t important!
“According to one study published at the turn of the century, an estimated 200,000 hectares of forest/woodlands are removed by tobacco farming each year. Aside form the disastrous impact these logging operating have on the local eco-sphere, deforestation directly contributes to pollution since trees absorb harmful carbon dioxide and the industrial machinery needed to harvest and process the timber also belch out pollutants.”
All over the globe people are smoking. Generation Y has tried to end the big bang of the tobacco companies by having “End Smoking” campaigns and luckily, it has made an impact. On the down side cigarettes are still a booming business with repeat customers spending their last to have an addictive smoke. It is said that 50% of all liter is cigarette butts. So that means that you can see as many cigarette butts as you blink your eyes in a day.
We think this is a small but bigger than we realize issue that most people think is only about personal health when in actuality it effects you, your children, the soil you eat from, the water you drink, and even our life span.
We strongly believe in being Eco-friendly and in your and our journey in being Eco-friendly; we need to recognize the things we do to harm the Earth. Things our family and friends do that are uneducated about their actions. We have to spread the knowledge. We have the responsibility to teach the next generation.
Thank you to http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/smoking-polluting-habit.php for their information on their website that added additional resources for our story.
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Of course we all are aware that smoking can severely damage our body but have you thought about the bigger picture of that smoke being constantly released in the air? Have you thought or considered
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