Environmental Activity Ch.4

In the first half of Ch.4 I chose to find three close in proximity activities to replace my long drives to big cities where are usually complete my monthly excursions. Now I want to tackle finding five ZERO emission activities that I can complete to fill spare time throughout my months when board. The five activities include; kayaking in my lake, going to my local beach, gardening with mom, going for a family bike ride and camping in my backyard with my friends.

My parents and I roughly calculated that driving nowhere this week for fun activities would save me about 50 L of gas consumption.

Monday I went kayaking as soon as I got home from school. The water was calm and the sun was out. Kayaking in my lake produced zero emissions. I also read that keeping busy in your lake helps circulate the water and oxygenate it. Our lake is full of soot and I read activities such as swimming and kayaking within it helps the lake oxygenate and recover naturally.

That same Monday, after kayaking I went on a bike ride with my family. We were gone for about 30 minutes. Long enough to get in a workout, a tan and a relaxing activity to wind down the day. Biking is a great way to have fun and workout all without releasing any toxic emissions. Another great thing to point out about biking is it’s a great activity to do with as many family and friends you would like! Get the whole family involved!

Tuesday I walked (8 minute walk) down the road to our lakes boat launch. Here the lake has rocks and very little soot. Many locals swim here and it took zero emissions in order to complete.

Thursday I gardened with mom. We had already started our vegetable garden but also wanted to plant some pretty annuals in our flower pots around the property. In general any flower planted is environmentally appreciated for its photosynthesis process and benefits to the soil. It also made our backyard look ready for summer! The marigolds that we planted also are a natural bug deterrent reducing our use of pesticides outdoors.

Lastly Friday, myself along with three other friends slept outside in my friends trailer. We didn’t drive the trailer anywhere or need to pack anything since we were right outside her home but the experience is just as fun! Camping outdoors with friends in your own backyards may seem lame but it’s actually extremely fun, has no cost and produces zero emissions.

This week I’ve realized the endless amounts of activities I have surrounding me that produce ZERO emissions. I encourage everyone to try the ones I’ve listed above as well as try and find zero emission activities unique to your local area.