Green July 4th: How To Make Your Holiday More Eco-Friendly (PHOTOS)

The Fourth of July is a much-celebrated holiday in the U.S. It also can be catastrophic to the environment -- the holiday tends to bring with it tons of trash, hazardous fireworks, and polluting cars. While some traditions should be embraced, others may need to be tweaked so that future generations can enjoy both this holiday and this earth, as well. Here are a few tips to make your Independence Day more pleasant for you and the world in which you live.

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Fireworks

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It's hard to picture July 4th without fireworks, but many of them are not great for the environment. As Thomas Klapötke (University of Munich, Germany) told Science Daily, "No other application in the field of chemistry has such a positive association for the general population as fireworks... however, pyrotechnical applications are significant polluters of the environment." ThinkProgress writes: "As fossil fuel pollution heats the planet, one of the casualties is the traditional celebration of the founding of the United States. The record droughts, floods, and storms fueled by global warming are causing widespread bans on fireworks and the cancellation of numerous municipal firework displays." While some eco-friendly options are in the works, for now, at least try to go to a group viewing instead of buying your own. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman, FILE)

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It's hard to picture July 4th without fireworks, but many of them are not great for the environment.

As Thomas Klapötke (University of Munich, Germany) told Science Daily, "No other application in the field of chemistry has such a positive association for the general population as fireworks... however, pyrotechnical applications are significant polluters of the environment."

ThinkProgress writes: "As fossil fuel pollution heats the planet, one of the casualties is the traditional celebration of the founding of the United States. The record droughts, floods, and storms fueled by global warming are causing widespread bans on fireworks and the cancellation of numerous municipal firework displays."

While some eco-friendly options are in the works, for now, at least try to go to a group viewing instead of buying your own.


(AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman, FILE)

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Comments

[Madiha Boolani]

02:32 PM on 07/05/2011

There are evn mmore ways to remain ecofriendly this fourth of july! the website below outlines some fun activities which are entertaining yet nt harmful to the environment!
http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/blogs/thecommunity/eco-fun-for-the-4th-of-july

[Pema]

01:14 AM on 07/05/2011

fireworks are so un eco friendly, i am sitting here lisening t the last of them go off. they are shooting them off the pier and the junk gets right into the water. yuck. i will be glad to see those go.
waiting for simple pleasures to return.

[mark11201]

02:27 AM on 07/04/2011

FTracy3 is my new hero!

[cuttiniowa]

08:22 AM on 07/03/2011

@Alan
RIGHT on, brother. FTracy need a new handle "FOtracy". What an ignorant fool.

[Brian Novotny]

09:05 PM on 07/03/2011

I don't recall anyone asking for your opinion, this is about the 4th of July, or didn't you get to the reading part in school yet. Drunk and disorderly should be punished on the internet too.

[Alan Davidson]

07:57 PM on 07/02/2011

I am glad this article was written. I went through the list and have decided to do everything the author says NOT to do. And I will do it in his/her honor.

In fact, since "dissent is the highest form of patriotism", I will burn a big bonfire to cap things off.

Eco Nazi's suck......

[FTracy3]

11:23 AM on 07/02/2011

I'm taking my kids out to look at non-polluting artists renditions of actual fireworks. They're really excited. To kind of get the same effect I cover them up with a biodegradable sheet and then yank it off so they can go "Oooh!". Then we go home and have a discussion about what sexist racists the Founding Fathers were. Then we cap it all off with the Pledge of Allegiance (sans "Under God")...well we don't actually say it, but we do stand up silently with a fist raised in protest.

[ConsciousChicago]

10:12 PM on 07/01/2011

RSS feed for this article is not working properly. Only the first Paragraph is being fed through to other media. (and no pics)

Respectfully Yours.

[flaconoire]

08:23 PM on 07/01/2011

Burn a flag?

[MCTSilverlakeCA]

09:43 PM on 07/01/2011

Not if it's not bio-degradable!