Earth Day, 10 Easy Ways to Help our Planet
If you haven't heard the news, today is Earth Day! A day to think about the way we treat our planet, what we'll leave behind for the next generation, and find ways to be more environmentally conscious.
The very first Earth Day was in 1970 and participation has grown tremendously since then. People are becoming more and more aware of the lasting impact that harmful activities have on the planet. Fortunately, there are so many ways to get involved to do your part to keep our planet healthy and clean.
Here are 10 easy ways to get involved:
1) Stop using disposable plastic
Currently, 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year to make packages, bottles, and bags. Only 10% of our plastic is properly recycled and the rest ends up in landfills or the side of the road where it leaks chemicals into the soil and water, affecting humans and wildlife.
2) Buy local produce
If you buy your produce from a grocery store, there's a good chance it has already lost about 45% of its original nutrients! If you buy local, your produce will be fresher (hence, more of its nutrients will be in-tact) and can reduce the amount of carbon emissions needed for transporting produce from the farm to the store.
3) Recycle
Recycling has a big economic impact - for instance, recycling steel and tin cans, saves 74% of the energy used to make them. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a tv for 3 hours!
4) Plant a tree
Trees absorb so many toxic fumes including excess and harmful CO2, odors, and pollutant gasses (including nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfer dioxide, and ozone). Plus, they're pretty to look at.
5) Start composting
Instead of throwing away your uneaten food, start a compost! The food, leaves, and grass from the compost put back vital nutrients back into the soil.
6) Cut down on junk mail
Because of junk mail (that goes right in the trash anyways) MILLIONS of trees are cut down every year to make them. Try to cut down on the amount of junk mail you receive to save our trees and keep our air clean.
7) Organize a community clean up
This is quick and easy - gather up a couple friends and clean up a ditch, park, or sidewalk. This makes your community nicer, could inspire a passerby to do the same, and you get exercise.
8) Track your online energy use
Being online can also leave a carbon footprint just like driving your car or flying in a plane. Electricity, data centers, and cloud storage all leave a carbon footprint.
9) Sign a petition to fight climate change
There are tons of petitions calling on governments to take action on climate change and public support can often help push change.
10) Recycle your old electronics
Because e-waste isn't being properly recycled, massive amounts of harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium leach into our air and water.
These are such small and easy ways that you can help be more environmentally friendly :)
What are you doing to help our planet today?
Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Paracord Love, Lauri
Summer, fall, winter, spring,
The seasons rotate as each brings
Its special beauty to this Earth of ours.
Winter’s snow and summer’s flowers;
Frozen rivers will flow come spring,
There is a renewal of everything
.
–Edna Frohock