Environmental issues are becoming a very popular topic nowadays, and a lot of people, especially students have been asking questions about it. This article explores the future of our planet, in a conversation between a student and a teacher, who share the same perspective, but different experiences, and daily habits. They discuss what ecology really means, why it matters in everyday life, and the challenges that our environment is facing today.

Victoria: Hello Ms. Chinoski! Today, we're going to be discussing the topic of ecology and preservation of the environment. So, previously you mentioned that you're quite interested in this topic, and I personally enjoy discussing this topic too because it’s quite relevant nowadays, and I would love to hear what you will say about this. Let’s start with a basic question, in your opinion, what is ecology, and why does it matter in everyday life?

Ms. Chinoski: I would put it this way. The study of ecology is relationships between things that are living with their environment. And I think everything needs to be balanced, so that things can continue living as they are, and we can all thrive and survive.

Victoria: What are the 3 biggest environmental problems in our world today and how do they affect us?

Ms. Chinoski: Number one I think, is plastic. Plastics are a huge problem in our world. Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year. In fact, plastic is ending up in our bodies. Researchers are finding plastic in our organs, in our brain. So many of the things that we do involve plastic. Humans may ingest tens of thousands of microplastic particles per year, and they are present in drinking water worldwide. It also affects animals. I have read on oceanblueprojects.org that microplastics have been found in 90% of seabirds. We have these one-use things, like coffee pads and throwaway silverware. We're just throwing all these plastics away because we buy them and because they’re convenient. This is filling up our landfills. Plastic not only in us, but in all the animals, marine life, the wildlife is full of plastic.

Victoria: I've heard about microplastics too, they are just small pieces of plastic, and they are everywhere! In the air, on the food we eat, so basically, we are filled with plastic.

Ms. Chinoski: Yes, and then another thing is food waste. Wasted food contributes to a broad range of environmental impacts, including climate change, air pollutants, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and soil and water quality degradation. I think that's huge. Especially at school lunches, they just throw away the food that the kids don't eat. And people throw away food every week that rots in their fridge. I think this is because we over shop, we go shopping for a week or 2 at a time or we go to those big stores and get groceries, and then we end up with too much food. We don't eat as much food as we think we will, so a lot of it gets wasted, and when that garbage rots in landfills, it can pollute the air and water. And restaurants too! You know, I think they waste a lot of food too. Another big problem is unpolluted freshwater. I think our water is becoming contaminated, as the ice caps melt. We are also adding salt water into our freshwater sources, and that's dangerous for us.

Victoria: Food waste is such a big problem. Yet we still have things like world hunger and kids who don't even have enough food to simply survive. So, what changes have happened in the environment over the last 10 to 15 years? Maybe the weather, nature, or pollution levels?

Ms. Chinoski: We used to have 4 different seasons, and they felt different, but now it’s just 2 seasons. It’s hot, and then it goes straight to cold. Also, the methane from garbage, goes into the air. The weather has definitely changed because of the warming of the atmosphere. The greenhouse gas is trapped. Animals are becoming extinct. All those changes, occur every year.

Victoria: Why do you think this topic of ecology and preservation of the environment is becoming so popular and why didn’t it become popular earlier for instance in the 90s?

Ms. Chinoski: I think social media has a ton to do with the popularity of it. People are able to share what's going on and where they're living and spread awareness.

Victoria: I agree. What are some daily actions that we can do to be more ecological?

Ms. Chinoski: Definitely, re use as many things as you can, and eat all the food in your refrigerator before it spoils. You can also make salads. That's what we do at my house. Actually, this week started to try to reduce paper towels. I got some reusable paper towels, and tried not to buy plastic. I also try to buy food as a whole. We have a store called Whole Foods here where they sell food in bulk or as whole items instead of individually packaged portions. Also turn off the lights when you are not in the room. Turn our temperature and thermostat off when we don’t need it. So that it will be cooler at night when we're sleeping, we don't need it that warm and vice versa. During the day, maybe the air conditioner doesn't have to be on all the time. I also changed from tubs of liquid laundry soap. You can get these sheets at a company called Earth Breeze. It's these sheets that dissolve in the water, and you get the soap that way. It comes in a cardboard envelope. It's a little dissolvable laundry sheet that you put in the wash tub. So, you're no longer buying the big plastic jug of laundry soap, which is half water anyway.

And I think you can just start doing that in every house. It makes a difference.

Victoria: It definitely makes a difference. Wow, that is a great product that you have! I wish we had that where I live. How do you feel about the idea of zero waste? Is it realistic for an ordinary person, or is it just marketing?

Ms. Chinoski: I think that is a great goal. I think you can do it. I remember being a sixth-grade camp counselor, and they did have zero waste in the cafeteria. They split the kids up in teams, and the team with the lowest waste got a reward. Every family and school should strive for zero waste, and then it's an improvement to just ignoring it. Сonsume everything that you take, don't overbuy, reuse as many things as possible. Repurpose things. When you're packaging something to send, you don't need to buy new packaging, you can just reuse old boxes. Rather save all that stuff because you can use it again, instead of just buying new stuff just because it's convenient.

Victoria: I always try to keep bubble wrap and stuff like that from my packages in case I need to send something. I just put an old bubble wrap that was already used. Why do so many teenagers still seem indifferent to ecology, even though the news keeps talking about climate issues?

Ms. Chinoski: I think that teenagers now are buying into it. I would say maybe 10 years ago, they weren't as much, but I do think that they care, like my kids. I have teenagers and they care a lot about it. I do think attributing a lot of it to social media, sharing and raising awareness that they do care about it. And I think they are trying. They have clothing stores that make things out of recycled materials, sustainable packaging, and we try not to waste organic. They make things out of organic cotton instead of synthetic plastics. I think that might be becoming more popular to care about where you're getting your things and care about what they're made of.

Victoria: For instance, you can make a new shirt by combining 2 old shirts, making something yourself. What school projects or initiatives on ecology would you recommend students to start?

Ms. Chinoski: I did think about reducing waste in the cafeteria. Have an art class, have a recycling day, or use recycled materials for projects. Then gather the food from where we have food waste, taking it to areas where people don't have the food that they need. Somehow schools could take the cafeteria leftovers. Of course, not the eaten things, but the things that the kids just take and don't eat: an orange or an apple, tons of fruit we throw away. And just take those to areas where there are people who are hungry.

Victoria: Do you think that being vegetarian or vegan is a part of caring for the climate, and is it important for everyone?

Ms. Chinoski: Yes, I think it's okay to eat meat. I don't think it's okay for us to have cattle the way that they're raising them, just to slaughter them to produce all this meat and all that is how it affects the environment. I think that can be very wasteful and very cruel to animals. I definitely think that if people did reduce the amount of meat they ate that would help our environment. And I think people can be vegetarians or vegans and also be very healthy.

Victoria: How do unrecyclable plastics affect the environment and how can people influence this? Maybe change unrecyclable plastics to recyclable ones, or maybe use them as many times as possible?

Ms. Chinoski: Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year! Maybe the best option is to just not buy it? If you have an option to get a reusable stainless steel water bottle and not buy the 24 count plastic water bottles just because it's so easy to grab the water to go, defiantly do that. I think if we stop buying it, they'll have to stop making it. I read on Epa.gov that Nearly 50% of plastic produced is single-use, and only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled worldwide

Victoria: I try not to buy bottled water because it’s costly, and unecological.  What are some effects of climate change that you see in the area where you live?

Ms. Chinoski: There was this lake close to where I was growing up, that we used to swim in. But now, for the past 20 years or so it has become so polluted and contaminated, that it’s no longer safe to swim in it. I've never been able to take my kids swimming there, like I did when I was younger. We used to be able to fish too, but now I imagine you wouldn't want to fish there if you can't even swim there. You don't want to eat the fish that live there.

Victoria: How bad do you think ecological problems could be in the future? And what is the environment going to be like in 100 years from now?

Ms. Chinoski: I do think that if we continue to keep doing what we're doing, we could make it so that the Earth is uninhabitable for us. I do think that we need to stop being so wasteful, because I do think that humans could become extinct.

Victoria: I just remembered the cartoon WALL-E where it talked about how wasteful humans were, and by 2012 the Earth was completely uninhabitable. It’s been 14 years since that, and it hasn’t happened yet, but maybe in a few more years it will come true.

Ms. Chinoski: Yeah, I have seen this cartoon too. I am more of a hopeful person so I you know, I try to look at the bright side. I try to look at the fact that people are at least now aware and doing things to help. So hopefully, things will improve for the wildlife. I just hope that their environment doesn’t continue to be cut down.

Victoria: Maybe we will no longer use fossil fuels and use green energy instead.

Ms. Chinoski: That would be wonderful, right? If we could use our solar panels and wind power, hydro-power instead, that would be expensive. But I hope that will happen in the future. Then, it could become more affordable. I have seen people in my neighborhood putting solar panels on that roof which makes me happy.

Victoria: Obviously it's quite pricey, hopefully they'll get it to be at a lower cost than right now. People don't want to risk it because they are worried that it will cost a lot, and electricity is going to be more expensive so it's going to be harder to survive. I would say we just need to wait until it is more reliable. How do you feel about activism? Do you think it's a good idea to take part in climate protests or campaigns?

Ms. Chinoski: I have never done that personally, but I support anyone who feels strong about something. I think that they have every right to get out there and talk about things, help raise awareness, I do think that it does make a difference, especially with the younger generation.

Victoria: It's really that people are forcing this topic on social media, I would say. Right now, there are a lot more documentary films that come out on the theme of ecology. I think it's also important to go around and raise awareness. Even if you don't know how to help, you can at least try to promote this topic and do something simple. I did participate in an activity once where we were just standing around in a line, and we all had different bags, with different types or garbage in them. So, anyone can come with there trash, and sort it out into different materials. We did this to encourage people to recycle plastics, and throw them into separate bins, because we do not do this on a daily basis here in Russia. I wish more people here, and the government would think about ecology more like in the US.

Ms. Chinoski: Yeah, and so what a difference, you made right?

Victoria: Yeah, exactly. Imagine some students would like to organize an event that will both teach people about ecology and also be really helpful to the environment at the same time. So, what would you suggest for some students to do?

Ms. Chinoski: You just described what was an excellent activity, right? What you did for in your neighborhood, I think that's good. Anything on social media is big too. I think if people got like an influencer behind them to support them, that could be huge, right? There’re so many influencers, or famous people, that could make an impact. I don't think it’s too hard to reach out and ask for help. You can get a lot of media attention.

Victoria: That is true. I also saw a few influencers promoting an ecological activity that some middle schoolers made. A lot of people have a bit of self-doubt, they might think that they alone can’t really change anything, and it’s not worth even trying. What would you say to a person who's afraid that their actions are just simply too small to change the world, or in other words, can one small step grow into a big movement?

Ms. Chinoski: This is just like voting, right? We think about that with voting: oh, how can my vote make a difference? I think you just have to do your best and talk about things with people. Remind everyone about People in history who've have thought: oh, I'm just one person, how can my great ideas change the world. So, we shouldn't think that we can't make a difference, because anyone can. Everyone can make a difference.

Victoria: Thank you so much for discussing this topic with me today!

Ms. Chinoski: You are welcome! I was glad to talk about ecology! It’s a very important topic, and it’s great that students at our school will be able to read about it.

This interview tells us, that even now, when global warming problems, are very serious, there is still hope. Ther are more people that are taking action in the protection of our planet. Weather it’s just reducing waste, reusing plastics, recycling materials, or spreading awareness. Every person can take part in saving the planet, including you. So don’t doubt yourself and take action. The climate needs you.