Argument Essay: Profiling

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Recommended: Importance of environmental conservation

The old Native American proverb that states, “We do not inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” really makes me think about my lifestyle and how it is benefiting the Earth. Being sustainable not only means to take care of the planet for my generation but also for future generations. It is my job to care for the planet as best as I can and to help pass on these good habits to my children. The best ways that I can help my environment are composting uneaten food and old vegetables, donating or reusing old clothes, and recycling plastic and paper products.
My family already has a composting pile in the yard and I never really noticed its value. I always thought of it as a pile of trash and would be reluctant to recycle leftovers when my parents told me to. It would have been so much easier to just throw everything away in the trashcan. In “Waste Not Want Not” Bill McKibben states that, “we toss 14 percent of the food we buy at the store” (304). That is a lot of food that can be put to better use instead of being wasted. Old food scraps will eventually turn into rich soil that can be used to grow an organic garden. The produce that I buy in the grocery store is not as healthy as I think it is because most of it is filled with chemicals that can be harmful to humans. There is a “displacement of nearly the entire farming population and the replacement of their labor and good farming practices by machines and toxic chemicals” (Berry 401). Using compost to plant my own food I do not have to live in fear about what I am feeding to my family. Composting is not only a good source to keep food out of landfills but it promotes a healthy and natural lifestyle.
Another way that I like to help the environment is by r...

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...y stuck with me was one I saw while visiting the Blue Marsh exhibit. In the words of Dean Snyder, “It was more than the buildings and farms that were being destroyed; there were also places of natural beauty” (Blue Marsh Exhibit). I want to be able to share the local beauty with future generations and this can only be possible if I help contribute to the conservation of the environment.

Works Cited

Berry, Wendell. “Farming and the Global Economy.” The Longman Reader (10th ed). Judith Nadell, et al. Boson: Pearson, 2012. 400-403. Print.
Fox, Marilyn, co-curator. “Blue Marsh: Landscape Lost”. Reading: Penn State Berks, Freyberger Gallery. Oct. 9, 2013.
Jordan, Chris. Midway: Message From the Gyre. Vimeo: Internet Video. Oct. 11, 2013.
McKibben, Bill. “Waste Not Want Not.” America Now (9th ed). Robert Atwan, Ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2011. 301-308. Print.

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