Earth Day is today, and while it may sound like just another holiday, it’s so much more.
Established in 1970, Earth Day is a time to celebrate our glorious planet and its beloved environment. Ways we celebrate Earth Day include demonstrating support for the environment and protecting it from pollution and waste.
You don’t have to go crazy to defend our planet. Doing small things such as these five tips can make an enormous difference.
#1: Reduce plastic use
For decades, plastic and other degrading particles have been contaminating our oceans. According to the Marine Mammal Center, about 90% of the ocean’s trash is plastic. Not only is it consuming the oceans, but it’s harming the wildlife that’s living there.
Part of the reason why the oceans are full of plastic is because we use too much of it. You can find it everywhere: food cans, water bottles, storage bins, phone cases and so much more. There are a variety of alternatives we can use to reduce plastic waste. A few of them are metal, glass, stainless steel and bamboo. If we use one or more of these safer materials, we’ll be taking a great big step to guarding the earth from plastic waste.
#2: Recycle your things
Recycling is critical to having a healthy environment. Not only does recycling curtail pollution, but it prevents us from wasting valuable materials.
There are numerous items we can recycle: paper, carboard, metal and some forms of plastic. Recycling these items allows us to create new materials from them, saving energy and money. It’ll also keep the environment cleaner since it’ll diminish litter, conserve natural resources and dwindle junk that gets sent to landfills.
#3: Skip driving and walk or ride a bike instead
Do you live close to campus? If so, you should consider leaving your car behind and riding your bike to campus instead. If you don’t have a bike, then you can simply walk.
Cars are prevalent in the world. While they’re highly convenient, they emit carbon dioxide and other gases that are hazardous for the environment. Unless your destination is miles away, you should consider walking or riding a bike to school or work, so you can help trim these adverse emissions.
Walking is a nice alternative since it allows you to get some exercise in as well as obtain some fresh air. Riding a bike is also a great alternative since bikes don’t emit ruinous gases like cars do.
#4: Unplug your electronic devices when you’re not using them
In addition to cars, electricity is highly available throughout the globe. People use it for a variety of things such as turning on the lights, watching TV, using a computer, washing the dishes and cooking.
The problem is that sometimes, when someone isn’t using an electric device, they don’t unplug it. Even if the device is off, it can still draw power, leading to a waste of electricity. To solve this, you can simply unplug your devices when they’re not being used. It may not sound like much, but unplugging your unused devices creates an immense impact. If everyone unplugs their devices, then so much energy will be saved, leading to a serener and more immaculate environment.
#5: Conserve your water
There are a million things we overuse in the world. One of them is water. Whether it’s by taking long showers or using massive sprinklers in our front yards, there’s so much water that’s being wasted. And given that we have many droughts and heatwaves, water is a crucial element that needs to be conserved.
And that’s not to say we should stop using water entirely, since we do need it to live. But if we take shorter showers, avoid using sprinklers to water our plants or use tinier amounts of water to clean our homes, the water that we’re currently wasting can be used to help heatwave victims and prevent droughts.
Earth is a shining jewel, but it needs to be protected. Now that it’s Earth Day, consider doing one or more of these activities, so our climate can remain spotless. As I mentioned, doing small things can make an immense difference. Even if you just recycle or unplug your devices, you’re making a gracious effort to make Earth a lovelier place than ever.