Various activities that people engage in have resulted in adverse effects on the health of the environment, thus environmental degradation. Some of the activities are attributed to organizational activities, while others are attributed to the personal choices of individuals. Personal choices of people contribute to the pollution of environmental components or elements such as air, water, as well as land (soil). The manner in which people’s individual choices affect environmental health is attributed to their practices and behavior within an environment. If a person chooses to use items that are not biodegradable and disposes of them to the environment, then they contribute to soil, as well as water pollution, thus negatively affecting environmental health (Dur & Vollard, 2014) . The aim of this report paper, therefore, is to demonstrate the impact of the writer’s personal choice on environmental health as well as ways of reducing the same. One of the areas in my life which negatively influence environmental health through its element of air is the mode of transportation used. Every day when an individual uses their car as their preferred mode of choice, they emit gases such as carbon monoxide, which contributes to air pollution (Small & Kazimi, 1995). According to a survey, 75% of the carbon monoxide causing air pollution in the United States is attributed to the emission of air pollutants by cars. Another area in my life that affects environmental health is my choice of energy-consuming appliances. The use of high-energy consumption appliances contributes to the degradation of the environment by depleting certain resources from the earth. Improper disposal of solid waste is also another personal choice that causes implications for environmental health. The disposal of solid waste such as plastic bottles contributes to water pollution as the bottles get washed up into water bodies(Jambeck, Geyer, Wilcox, Siegler, Perryman, Andrady & Law, 2015). Due to the inability of solid waste such as plastic bottles to decompose, they accumulate in water bodies causing water pollution and thus threatening aquatic life. My personal preference for urban housing also influences environmental health since houses are constructed on land, which results in the depletion of resources. Housing that causes unsustainable development causes pollution of land through both depletion of the resource and soil erosion during construction activities, especially in the event of rapid urbanization projects (Chen, 2007). My inability to practice the culture of recycling is also having a negative implication on environmental health. Soil and water pollution are attributed, to a large extent, to the inability of many people to recycle certain solid wastes, which causes them to dispose of them carelessly. Hence they pollute soils and water bodies. Another personal choice that negatively impacts environmental health through pollution is my practice of burning some of my waste, which causes air pollution. The burning of solid waste influences environmental health since it results in the emission of fumes and gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide, which contribute to air pollution (Mohapatra, 2006). The choice of foods that constitute most of my meals also influences environmental health even though it is an indirect form of influence. Preference for processed foods means buying foods that are packed either in plastic or paper containers, which when poorly disposed of can cause soil and water pollution. Similarly, buying processed food, as opposed to consuming organic food, contributes to the amount of waste I produce. This increases the chances of that waste causing water or soil pollution if the waste is poorly disposed of either by me or the waste management institution in my residential area. Another personal choice that negatively influences environmental health through water and soil pollution is the use of detergents and other cleaning agents that find their way back to water bodies or on the ground, thus soil pollution. Lastly, the poor use of water in the house causes the misuse and wastage of water, which can be likened to pollution as that wasted water is deleted without having been used. This also causes me to use more water than necessary, thus polluting water by contributing to its depletion. There are numerous remedies to pollution of water, land (soil), as well as air that can be adopted in a personal or professional environment to prevent adverse effects on environmental health. For instance, regarding pollution through using a car every day as a mode of transport, one can use public transport to reduce the emission of gases such as carbon monoxide that cause air pollution. Similarly, regarding the poor disposal of solid waste such as plastic, one can begin practicing the culture of proper disposal or recycling to prevent water and soil pollution. Also, instead of burning solid waste, which causes air pollution, one can recycle plastics and glass waste as well as bury biodegradable waste in the ground, which contributes positively to the environment (Ezugwu, 2015). The idea of a zero waste strategy can be implemented in a bid to reduce pollution through solid wastes since the strategy encourages and facilitates the re-use of waste, thus preventing depletion of resources which also contributes to adverse impacts on environmental health (Song, Li & Zeng, 2015). Lastly, regarding the issue of food, as opposed to consuming processed food, I would practice a more ‘green lifestyle’ to reduce the amount of waste produced. Teaching people about the negative implications of pollution on environmental health is paramount to driving positive change. This entails making people know and understand how adverse environmental health, owing to pollution, directly affects their health, thus encouraging them to stop engaging in activities that cause pollution (Prüss-Üstün & Neira, 2016) . Therefore, I will teach my friends and family about the negative implications of pollution owing to the negative implications it has on environmental health. Similarly, to drive positive change, I will lead by example and start practicing environmentally friendly activities in an attempt to prevent and reduce pollution within my area of residence.
Conclusion
Environmental health is dependent on human activities, hence the contribution of personal choices to pollution (Friss, 2012) . Engaging in activities such as rapid urban development, poor disposal of solid waste, as well as contributing to the emission of pollutant gases, contributes to pollution, thus affecting negatively, environmental health. Therefore instead of engaging in detrimental activities, people should adopt ‘green practices such as eating organic foods and recycling of solid waste to prevent pollution. It is important that people prevent pollution because those living in such an environment feel the implications of poor environmental health.
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References
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