“Do you own stock in the electric company?”

That’s the question I get from my dad every time I leave the lights on. I don’t own stock in the electric company, and if you’re like me, I suggest you begin to turn off your lights when you leave rooms. Doing so not only saves money but will help cut down on energy consumption in your household.

And it’s one of many ways we can help the environment. There are a number of ways to actually help the environment and it starts on an individual level.

For example, each of us can stop being so lazy. Our parking lot is filled with trash. It’s not that hard to look for a place to get rid of your waste.

And when you do find a place to get rid of your garbage, make sure it’s in the right place. Please don’t throw your garbage in the recycling bins, and please put your recyclables in the recycling bin, not the garbage can.

Also, try to convince your family to eat less meat. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, approximately 1,840 gallons of water are used to produce one pound of beef. Simply eating one vegetarian meal with your family each week could help cut back on such overuse of water.

And when you’re forced to do the dishes, make sure you only run the dishwasher when it’s full. Running the dishwasher when it’s only half filled uses twice as much water than what could be done in one load.

Finally, when you’re here at MHS, where we rely so heavily on paper, try to use all of the paper. Take notes on both sides of the page.

And don’t just leave this paper lying around either. Put it in the recycling bin. Or make a paper hat out of it.

Besides these solutions, there are many more ways to help the environment. Carpool to and from MHS. Cut down on your daily waste.

Whatever works for each one of you, do it. Because if we do nothing, the problem only gets worse. It’s time that we start listening to our lessons from the past and start focusing on making meaningful changes at an individual level.