We understand now, more than ever, that we all have a part to play in taking care of Mother Earth. Individual homes are installing solar panels in Arvada and working towards becoming as eco-friendly and energy efficient as possible. People are changing the way they do things with things like alternative fuel vehicles, reusable shopping bags, and cutting down on waste. Companies are doing their part to convert to alternative fuel sources and become more energy efficient. Big cities are the next in line to change the way they do things in order to do their share of helping to improve their carbon footprint on the earth.

Large cities have always had recycling programs but they are expanding their programs in order to make much more of a difference. They are expanding the types of things that they recycle and also regulating the types of things they will take. One of the big changes that they are incorporating is composting sections of their business. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that half of the waste that goes into landfills are food waste and composting is decreasing this number. Big cities are collecting organic materials separate so that they can be composted to create different forms of biofuels.

Vehicles are a big part of the issues when it comes to the burning of fossil fuels and the damage it does. Many cities all over the world are working to create better public transportation systems in order to cut down on the amount of cars on the road. They are creating great systems that people want to ride on and some are even using alternatively fueled vehicles. Many places, such as California, are looking into high speed trains for longer distance travel which will take cars off of the highways for long periods of time.

Many cities are starting to add in the feature of green roofs. This is a simple way to bring greenery into the middle of cusy urban areas that are short on space. These areas are being used for trees, grass, and miniature park-like areas. There are a lot roofs throughout a city and they are underutilized areas of space. These areas can also be used for community gardens and great bird habitats. This greenery will act as natural air purification systems as well.

We still have a long way to go but if everyone takes baby steps every day, we can get to a much better place. The increased awareness around the world is a great place to start. At the end of the day, it is up to the leaders to make changes and then everyone else can follow suit. Cities like San Francisco have passed laws about green roofs, and this is the type of example that is needed.