Our life and our happiness depend on our planet being clean and healthy. That’s what April’s annual celebration of Earth Day is all about. But Earth Day isn’t just about remembering our planet one day a year…..we need to honor Earth Day everyday. Here are 10 easy ways to make Earth Day everyday:
ONE: Plan to pick up trash when you go for a walk.
In addition to helping to keep your neighborhood clean, it can be your “random act of kindness” for the day.
TWO: Drive less.
Carbon emmissions from cars is one of our biggest polluters. Find ways to drive less by walking, biking, and working from home more. Other benefits include better personal fitness and less wear and tear on our roads.
THREE: Remember the three Rs.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Apply this mantra to your daily life. You will appreciate the positive mindfulness this brings to your life.
FOUR: Teach your children.
Good earth habits take root better when they are learned young. Teach your kids how to be good stewards of their home planet.
FIVE: Choose your packaging wisely.
Pay attention to how the products you are buying are packaged. Create change with your wallet! Only choose products that feature packaging that uses less plastic. Example: Laundry detergent sheets that come in a ziplocked bag rather than a huge plastic jug.
SIX: Say “no” to plastic water bottles.
Our oceans are drowning in plastic refuse, much of which is made up of plastic water bottles. Instead of buying bottled water, use water filtration devices like Brita jugs at home, and fill your portable metal water bottles with your own filtered water. In addition to reducing plastic waste this will also help to keep harmful plastic deposits from entering your body.
SEVEN: Plant a tree!
One of the best trees for improving air quality is the Tulip Poplar. A New York City study shows that the Tulip Poplar is one of the best trees for scrubbing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.
EIGHT: Buy local.
This reduces shipping pollution and better supports your community, farmer’s market and local businesses.
NINE: Use reusable shopping bags.
Say “no” to your grocery store’s plastic shopping bags and instead bring your own cloth bags to the store. You can use these over and over again and they work better than plastic bags, too. Note to business owners: Highlight your company by supplying your customers with tote bags that have your logo on them. It’s a great way to market your business and provide a useful, usable product at the same time.
TEN: Reduce paper waste and junk mail.
Think twice before printing things at work and home. You can reduce your mail by using online payment options that avoid paper bills. And there are services that will remove your name from unwanted mailing lists to reduce junk mail.
Being mindful about how your day-to-day habits affect the health of the planet might seem insignificant but is actually quite powerful. When it comes to the environment, making small changes in your habits is a huge step towards doing something real to improve the health of our earth. Each of us has the power to make a big difference, and that is key.