Change Agent - Research Paper Example

Change agents in the community are able to influence the behavior of others in order to improve their lifestyle. I would like to become a change agent in my community in order to bring awareness about the importance of recycling and alternative energy. Recycling benefits the environment by reducing the amount of trash generated by households and by providing raw materials that can be reused to manufacture consumer products. The United States is facing an energy crisis due to the fact that the country’s infrastructure is highly dependent on petroleum and fossil fuels to produce energy and gasoline.

I plan on becoming a change agent in my community by creating a non-profit organization to promote both recycling and alternative energy. Creating awareness starts by educating the public about the problem. Each person in the United States is currently generating 4.7 pounds of waste everyday of which 33.4% is recycled, 12.6% is burned in combustion facilities, and 54% makes it to the landfills (Recyclingfacts, 2008). The excessive amount of waste going to the landfills is hurting our environment.

The government is running out of places to accumulate more trash. Some of the materials that people can recycle include paper, aluminum, plastic, and glass. The organization I will establish will gather information about all the recycling centers available within 200 miles of the community. This information will be given to every member of the community so that they can utilize the knowledge to make changes in their daily habits. People should also be aware that a lot of these recycling centers will pay people for recyclable material.

Some of the basic tactics people must learn is that the different materials should be stored in separate bags. The energy crisis is hurting the pockets of all Americans. Fuel prices are rising and there seems to be no end to how high they might reach in the near future. The current price of a gallon of gasoline is $3.93 a gallon (Reuter, 2012). My organization will take the initiative of analyzing consumer reports to determine the best green cars in the market. After evaluating the alternatives I will create a list of cars that people in my community can purchase to save money on gas.

The information of the cars will include the price, brand, features, technology, and most importantly fuel efficiency of each vehicle. Two of the most promising green cars in the marketplace are the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Another important aspect of the non-profit organization will be educating the community about alternative energy options. The electricity bill of most American families is too high. There are ways that people can save energy. A simple solution to save energy is to replace all the light bulbs in a home with LED light bulbs.

A second solution to save electricity is to purchase appliances that use propane gas. People that are looking for more proactive solutions can invest in solar panels in order to generate a portion of all the electricity they need instead of being dependent on the grid. Another solution to create alternative energy is the use of wind mills. ReferencesRecyclingfacts.org (2008). Welcome to recycling facts. Retrieved March 25, 2012 from http://recyclingfacts.org/ Reuters.com (2012). U.S gasoline hits $3.

93 a gallon: survey. Retrieved March 25, 2012 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-energy-gasoline-retail-idUSBRE82O0G820120325