Everyday, you produce carbon dioxide and basically everything you use on a daily basis generated CO2 when it was made. We convert natural gas, nuclear power, and, most commonly, coal to make our electricity. The power you use in your home was most likely produced from coal combustion. When coal is burned, it releases CO2 (which is the most abundant greenhouse gas), particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury. These chemicals are not only harmful to the environment but also to the human body - they damage respiratory and cardiovascular systems as well as the nervous system. Inhaling these pollutants is about as damaging to the lungs as smoking cigarettes, they can clog arteries causing heart attacks, and they can stimulate the inflammatory response in the arteries leading to the brain, ending in stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases.
The chair you are sitting in has a longer history than you may think. It took energy to gather all of the resources needed, to transport them to the chair factory, to build the chair, to deliver it to the store, and then to get to your house. This same process goes for everything else in your house - the chair, the floor, the blankets, even your clothes and shoes! It's hard to live eco-friendly when everything is produced from coal. To reduce this pollution, try shopping and donating at second hand stores (not only reducing pollution but also reusing, recycling, AND saving money!) and turn off all lights and appliances when they aren't needed. Did you know that you can turn on "vacation mode" on some appliances? That way, they're not using as much electricity when it isn't needed! Resources: https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Air_pollution_from_coal-fired_power_plants#Pollutants
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