Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not bring so much material home in the first place.

The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.

Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.

But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.

There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary material we are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.

   How To Be Green?

What does “green” mean? “Green” is more than just a color. 【小题1】    Why green? Plants are green, and without them the Earth wouldn't be such a lovely home for us human beings. What can we do? Here's a four-step guide to being green.

Reduce It!

【小题2】 For instance, a shorter shower means you use less water and less fuel since your house uses fuel to run the water heater that warms up the water.

Reuse It!

Sometimes people call our society a “throwaway society”. It means that we're a little too willing to throw away old stuff(东西) and buy new stuff. 【小题3】 . For instance, if your baby brother becomes older and loses interest in his plastic basketball hoop(篮圈), why not give it to another family who has a little kid?

Recycle It!

Recycling has never been easier. Many communities(社区) will pick it up right in front of your house and some towns even require it. Recycled goods go to a recycling center, where they can be turned into new cans, bottles, and paper.

Enjoy It!

It's true that rubbish and pollution are problems, but the Earth remains a huge and beautiful place that's ready for you to explore. 【小题4】  Go for a hike, visit local nature centers and gardens, and climb up mountains.

But before you travel around the world, take a look at your own backyard. Find a place where you could plant a tree or put in a little fruit or vegetable garden. 【小题5】

   Many people would like to change various things in their life in order to be more eco-friendly. 【小题1】 They range from changing their jobs to their vehicles and even their homes. In what follows, I am going to talk about the most energy-efficient（节能的）small green homes. Keep on reading, as this article is very useful if you would like to change your home into a more eco-friendly one.

【小题2】 This happens because a green home will contain green devices（设备）which need alternative sources of energy such as solar power and wind power. They do not pollute the atmosphere as much as the regular sources of energy. 【小题3】 The process of installing them is kind of expensive but in the long term, it will save you a lot of money.

【小题4】 It will be made out of recyclable and renewable materials. For example, the furniture will be made out of bamboo instead of materials which take years to grow. This means that there is not a risk of them to be used up as in the case of certain types of wood or other materials.

A green house will be decorated by using non-toxic（无毒的）materials. 【小题5】 They contain harmful chemicals which can be dangerous, but the most energy-efficient small green homes do not have this problem.

   Dragging a sleigh loaded with enough presents for the world’s children can be no easy skill. But, since ancient times, the Christmas Eve duty has been performed by a team of beloved reindeer.

Soon, however, Santa Claus may have to start looking around for a stronger type of animal, as newresearch shows the species is becoming increasingly puny. A 16-year survey on the arctic Norwegian islands, Svalbard, found the reindeer there have declined in weight by an alarming 12 percent.

The reduction in average body weight is being blamed on global warming. In the research presented lately at a meeting of the British Ecological Society in Liverpool, scientists have explained how upward temperatures are robbing female reindeer of nutrients during important periods of pregnancy.

Snow in Svalbard typically covers the ground for eight months of a year, which, combined with low temperatures, limits grass growth to June and July. But as summer temperatures increase by around 1. 5℃, grass has become more productive, allowing female reindeer to gain more weight by autumn and therefore to have more babies. However, winters have brought with them greater rainfall which freezes when it settles on the snow. Reindeer can often access the poor food sources beneath the snow by clearing it away with their antlers (鹿角) , but they cannot break through the hard ice. As a result, female reindeer are becoming starved, causing them to lose their babies or give birth to the much lighter young.

Despite the findings, reindeer appear to be suffering less from the effect of climate change than some other arctic species. Last week the scientists warned that a third of the world’s polar bears could disappear in the next 40 years.