Back in the old days, when school was the only place where one would write an essay, there were some standard topics of discussion. Save Water, Science – Friend or Foe, The Pleasures of an Early Morning Walk, Festivals and the like. But today, with examples like Greta Thunberg, and the environment being in the news every week, school essay topics are changing to reflect the imminence of a global problem in the name of climate change. We all know that the ice-caps are melting, some major animal species are being wiped off the face of earth into extinction. And there have already been two large-scale forest fires in the Amazon and Australia. In the midst of these, it is important to encourage awareness at a more personal level. And that can be done by encouraging students to write a save environment essay.
A save environment essay should be written in a manner where first, the main environmental issues are discussed, followed by a streamlined explanation of these. To wrap up an environmental protection essay, some practical solutions and ongoing efforts should be mentioned. This layout is better understood with an example.
Save Environment Essay – Creating an Outline
Before writing, it helps to create an outline of the essay. One method to do this is to write the topic in a big circle in the centre of the page. And then you can draw lines around it with the main ideas to be covered. Create your essay outline. This can be expanded as much as the topic demands.
Another method is to create a simple outline of about five paragraphs. The first paragraph is the introduction, followed by the explanations and discussions in the next three paragraphs, and the conclusion. This is a more streamlined way to organise one’s thoughts, particularly when writing for an exam.
Example of an outline:
Para 1 – The environment is undergoing a rapid transformation due to human influence and activities.
Some examples of recent news stories about climate change or environmental pollution.
Para 2 – Why are these changes happening?
Increased air and water pollution due to emissions caused by unregulated human activities, indirect associations like rising global temperatures leading to melting of ice caps, which in turn affect the oceans.
Para 3 – Overpopulation causing rapid use of Earth’s resources, depleting ground water levels, water crisis in major cities of the world, plastic pollution.
Para 4 – Relation between human activities and these problems.
What can be done? Everyday solutions and long-term solutions like changing policies, implementing new infrastructure to safeguard the future, reversing the damage done.
Para 5 – A summary of the problems mentioned in the essay, followed by a summary of the solutions discussed.
The Introductory Paragraph
The first or introductory paragraph of the essay should be written in a manner that captures the interest of the reader and also gives an idea of what the essay is about. A good statistical data fact, some breaking news, or the results of a study are examples of good starting points. The summary of the topic written in the first paragraph is only an introduction, and should be short and crisp.
Body Paragraphs
In paragraphs two, three and four, or the body paragraphs of the essay, the topic at hand is to be described, explained, argued and analysed. Depending on the word limit, this can be exhaustive, or succinct. Clarity of the subject is very important here, particularly when it is a how to save the environment essay. The main ideas that were outlined in the first step become the paragraphs. Every paragraph carries the main idea of you wrote down on your outline becomes separate paragraphs. Each paragraph carries the main idea of the save environment essay. And this is supported with sentences carrying more details, facts, and examples.
While there may be many ideas one may have and wish to discuss, it is important to choose and highlight only the most relevant examples in an essay on save the environment. A well-written essay needs structured body paragraphs that read well, have clearly defined ideas, and some examples to strengthen the argument. Also, one must use important keywords around the topics in these body paragraphs. Doing so makes it easier for the person assessing the essay to get an idea of the extent of knowledge shared in the essay. This can help increase the chances of scoring well in an essay.
Concluding Paragraph
The concluding paragraph is just as important as the rest of the essay on save the environment. This is the place where all ideas and points come together like a snapshot of the essay. It becomes a concise summary of everything that is discussed in the paragraphs preceding it. A conclusion makes room for the writer to sum up the topic and bring it to a natural end.
A very important tip to remember is that one should not introduce any new ideas in the conclusion. The last paragraph is only a summary of what has already been written. It cannot have an unexplained, new point of view, or a fact that has not been discussed in the entire essay.
Editing the First Draft
Once the first draft of an essay is done, it needs a thorough proofreading. Doing so can help pick out any grammatical errors, or a break in the flow of ideas. It also gives the writer a chance to check if the instructions have been followed, the word limit is adhered to and the correct format has been used. Some ideas in the body may need to be switched around. Stronger points with definitive examples should come at the top and the end, while the middle sections can carry the general ones.
Next, one must read the essay to see if the sentences make sense. Make sure they are not too long, and flow together easily.
Once you do this, the essay is ready for submission. A catchy headline and a good flow of ideas, rounded up with a neat conclusion is a format that usually works very well to write and score well on a save environment essay.
