Celebrate your environmental independence! Do more than just throw burgers on the grill - take action now to help save the planet. As part of Break the Addiction's 12-Step Program, you've already Examined Yourself and Made Wiser Eco-Choices.
Now it's time for Step 3: Becoming Independent - from your bad habits like overconsumption, wastefulness, and pollution. Don't wait for others to tell you what to do - this Independence Day, start your own green revolution!
Check out how these eco trailblazers show their green pride:
Think you can't run a car on soybeans? Think again! A group of Philadelphia students have built the world's first biodiesel sports car, which runs almost entirely on vegetable oil. The ride has close to zero emissions, makes 55.5 mpg's and goes from zero to 60 in 4 seconds - all on soybeans. Talk about freeing yourself from oil dependence! Biofuels are just one source of alternative energy - other clean energy sources include wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal.
And how about the students at Dartmouth College who are on a road trip with a purpose. This summer, these eco-warriors are driving a school bus that runs on vegetable oil cross-country to educate Americans about alternative fuel sources. While the group doesn't expect everyone to start driving a Crisco-powered car, it does hope to raise awareness about energy conservation and the small steps we can all take to help save our planet, from turning off the lights to cutting back on the A.C. So go ahead, get on the bus!
Need another source of inspiration? If that creek/garbage dump you pass on your way to school every day has got you down, how about cleaning it up! A group of high school students in Louisiana did just that with a local stream that for years had served as the community's unofficial dumping ground. They tested the water quality, did a species inventory, had a clean-up day, and, with the help of the State Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Army Corps of Engineers, restored the stream to its lush, clean, original state. Wildlife is back, and not an instance of dumping has occurred since.