Earth Day is a globally celebrated holiday that raises awareness about environmental issues affecting our world. Many communities even turn the holiday into a week-long event of marches, clean-ups, petitions, and more.
If marches and petitions aren’t for you, there are little things you and your family can do every day to make a big difference.
A brief history
On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans across the country participated in rallies to stand up for healthy, sustainable environments. According to EarthDay.org, “groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values”.
That first Earth Day led to the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts as well as the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In 1990, Earth Day went global, with 200 million people in over 140 countries standing up for environmental issues. Today, we continue to fight for a cleaner and healthier environment, thanks to Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day.
How to celebrate this year’s Earth Day
Earth Day 2018 will “mark the first step toward the ultimate goal of replacing fossil fuel based plastics with nonpolluting materials”, according to EarthDay.org. The End Plastic Pollution campaign is working to educate people as well as influence large corporations and governments to reduce plastic pollution all over the world.
Plastic, all over our cities, oceans, and beaches, contributes to health problems in both humans and animals. In about thirty years, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. There’s even a “plastic soup” of garbage twice the size of the United States floating in the Pacific Ocean right now.
How can we make a difference?
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
It’s time to think carefully about the products we buy that contain plastic. It all starts with personal commitment and being more conscientious about the choices we make.
How else can we celebrate Earth Day while making a difference?
Walk more, drive less
Obviously, not everyone has the option to walk to work — many of us are commuters. If you can, carpool with friends or simply drive more safely and reduce emissions. Also, plan ahead — if your grocery store is close to other errands you need to run, narrow it down to one trip!
Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
Energy-efficient light bulbs use 25-80% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, plus they last 3-25 times longer. You can also save $75 per year just by using light bulbs that have the ENERGY STAR on them.
Plant a tree or garden
Trees benefit the environment in a number of ways. They reduce urban runoff, absorb carbon dioxide, provide oxygen, and reduce noise pollution. Gardening also has incredible health benefits so put on a sun hat and grab your shovel!
Say Goodbye to plastic and Hello to reusable shopping bags
Each year, our oceans collect 8 million metric tons of plastic — that’s equivalent to “five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world”, according to Time. Shopping with reusable bags also saves you money.
Throw out cleaning products with harsh chemicals
Volatile Organic Compounds, found in household cleaners, are the worst environmental hazards. Check out this list of most common VOCs to make sure they’re not in your home.
Replace plastic water bottles with a snazzy reusable one
Plastic bottles can take 450 years to degrade. Do the Earth a favor and switch to using a reusable bottle every day — the average American saves $260 per year by switching to reusable bottles.
Do a beach clean-up with friends
Ocean debris has been accumulating with deadly consequences for seabirds and marine animals. Help put a stop to this by gathering a group of your friends to do a beach clean-up.
Being environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be limited to one day a year. Make every day Earth Day by taking action to improve the health of the planet we call home.
Great resources
What it means to be environmentally friendly