Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the beginning of the modern environmental movement in 1970. While we celebrate our planet every day of the year, springtime really motivates new goals to take actions that can make a BIG difference!
Ecosystems support all life on Earth. It provides us with food and water to sustain all life. We and those we love are healthier when our planet and ecosystems are healthy!
Earthday.org announced on October 20 of last year that the theme for Earth day 2023 is:
We've assembled 10 easy lifestyle suggestions that any one of us can try,
to keep the planet clean and healthy for a better future:
- Switch off the light, television, or any electronic devices when you leave the room or when you aren’t using them – even for a few minutes.
- Next time you replace your traditional lightbulbs at home, consider trying an energy-efficient alternative.
- According to Energy Sage:
Halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), and light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) use anywhere from 25-80 percent less electricity and last 3 to 25 times longer than traditional bulbs.
- On a warm summer day, try to hang your clothes outside if you can, to avoid using a drying appliance.
- Toss your apple cores, used coffee grounds or eggshells into a compost bin or closed kitchen container to develop your own nutrient-rich fertilizer for your home garden.
- Here are some Do's and Don'ts on composting at home from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- You can also save clean carrot peels, onion ends, herb stems and celery tops in a freezer bag and use them to make vegetable stock for cooking soups and making sauces.
- When you make purchases that are geographically closer to you, you cut down on carbon emissions. Your purchased good won’t need to travel as far and produce unnecessary pollution or carbon waste.
- Plus, you can feel good about supporting the economy around you in your community at the same time.
- Trees clean pollutants from the air, produce oxygen, prevent soil erosion, create homes for vital wildlife, and supply natural cooling and shade. Clearly, getting your hands dirty and planting a tree can help make a huge difference!
- Cleaning up waste on streets, highways and waterways can be one of the most rewarding ways to volunteer your time. Reach out to your local city or rural programs, there is bound to be ways to join a locally sponsored cleanup.
- Non-profit community farms often rely on volunteers to grow efficiently and help feed those who need it most. If you live in a city, spending time helping an urban farm program promote local, healthy eating – but will also help your wellbeing if you’re spending time outside with plants.
- Every municipality has a recycling program. Take time to learn about what yours accepts in their recycling bins to make sure everything ends up in the most efficient place.
- Small decisions like using a re-usable coffee tumbler, bringing your cloth bags shopping or filling your water bottle, all add up and make a big difference.
- Meal planning ahead of time can help reduce waste, and save you money on your grocery bill. If you only buy what you need, your perishables may not perish at all.
- Take everyday materials and extend their use. Simple things like saving some newspapers for padding when packing items away, or to wrap gifts give items longer use and save you money.
You could even turn old clothes and those single pesky socks into something new like a cushion cover or dishrag.
The possibilities are endless.
- Hop on your bike, catch the bus, leave a bit early by foot, or carpool with coworkers and friends to get around when possible.
- Choosing public and active transportation options will not only reduce GHG emissions, but results in a variety of health benefits—and your pocketbook.
- Charities like Habitat for Humanity will accept your unwanted household items and put them to use, instead of filling up more landfills. Donating also helps them achieve their mission to build safe, decent homes for working, low-income families.
- Diabetes Canada will also come and pick up household items from you directly. Donating to their
Declutter Diabetes program helps divert 100,000,000 lbs of textile and household items from landfills!
Here’s more information on how you can help.
- Simple gestures like stopping the water from running while brushing your teeth, or being efficient in the shower diverts less water from our rivers, bays and estuaries—keeping our environment healthier for longer.
- Eating less meat can help reduce pressure on forests and land that used to grow animal feed. When we do this, we protect biodiversity, and people living in poverty who are bearing the brunt of climate change.
- Nearly 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of meat, dairy, and eggs. Small steps like taking part in Meatless Monday, skipping meat once a week helps reduce emissions associated with meat production.
- For example: If everyone in New York City chose a (soy) veggie burger instead of a ¼ lb. beef burger for Meatless Monday, it would save the equivalent CO2 emissions from charging 2.6 billion smartphones.
- By learning how our natural environment works, you’ll not only understand how it operates, you’ll also learn to appreciate its beauty and feel even more compelled to take action and protect the only planet we call home.
You’re already reading a blog to educate yourself about environmental issues! - High-five to you, for opening your eyes to a whole new world.
Keep up the great work.
This spring, we have been thinking about what we can do to change and make a difference. Investing your personal actions can take a bit of an adjustment, but in the end it’s easy for us to do our part.
