Today is the 44th anniversary of Earth Day which was first celebrated in 1970 thanks to Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who advocated protecting the environment and increasing awareness of environmental issues. More than 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day celebration, forcing the focus on environmental issues in politics and in the media. It didn’t take long for Earth Day to become a global initiative. While environmental issues are a political hot button, very few people refute the fact of climate change and our need to do something about it. Yes, the issue of whether or not climate change is manmade is still a debatable point for some. But everyone wants a clean, safe, healthy planet on which to live and leave to our children, right? To that end, let’s make every day Earth Day. Here are just a few things you can do to celebrate and respect our planet …
Earth Day Tips
Reduce greenhouse gases on the road by leaving your car at home and walking or biking to work. Patronize local shops and restaurants and get there on foot. Walking is good for the earth and your health.
“Vampire appliances,” those that suck energy when not in use, waste about 10% of all electricity in the U.S. What can you do about it? Simply unplug them when not in use. Some of the biggest household vampires are video game consoles, which waste around 230 kilowatt hours/year; laptops; DVD players and cell phone chargers. And while you’re at it, unplug the coffee maker, toaster oven, can opener and other small kitchen appliances when you’re not using them. While they’re not huge energy wasters, every little bit helps and puts money in your pocket by lowering electric bills too.
Avoid buying bottled water. Instead, use BPA-free water bottles to tote your H2O wherever you go. Don’t want to give up your flavored water? Buy a water infuser (about $25.00 at Bed Bath and Beyond) and make your own.
When possible, buy locally grown foods in season.
Turn off lights when you leave a room.
Bring reusable bags when you go food shopping. Always forget them? Leave a few in your car.
Use biodegradable poop bags for cleaning up after your dog.
Run the dishwasher when it’s full.
Teach children not to run the water while brushing their teeth.
Take shorter – and cooler – showers. Lower your home’s water temperature from 140 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll save electricity and money – and still have hot showers.
Program your thermostat to turn air conditioning off when you’re not at home.
Many laundry detergents are designed to work in cold water so choose that setting for all but the dirtiest loads.
Clean vents and filters on air conditioning units to make them more efficient.
Use less spray cleaner by spritzing it on cleaning cloths instead of on surfaces.
Brown-bagging it? Stop wasting paper on lunch bags and buy a reusable lunch box to take your lunch to work or school.
Weatherstrip doors and windows.
Wrap an insulation blanket around your water heater to reduce its running cost as much as 9 percent.
Register with the Direct Marketing Association’s DMAchoice mail preference service to get off junk mail lists and see a significant reduction in mail after three months.
Ditch the paper towels and, instead, use a microfiber cloth for cleaning. One microfiber cloth can take the place of 60 rolls of paper towels before it needs replacing.
Set your printer to print on both sides of the paper. Or reuse paper that’s been printed on one-side for jotting notes, shopping lists, to-do lists, etc.
Repurpose small glass food jars (baby food jars, for example). They make great containers for nails, screws, buttons, paper clips, etc.
Buy large size containers of cleaning products to refill spray bottles instead of throwing them away when empty. You’ll save money and will also buy and dispose of fewer spray bottles.
Recycle plastic shopping bags by bringing them back to the store.
Buy organic when you can, but if it’s a strain on the budget, buy the organic versions of produce known to have the highest pesticide levels including apples, peaches and bell peppers.
Want to be part of NASA’s mosaic image of Earth? Take a photo of yourself outside and post it to social media using the hashtag #GlobalSelfie. NASA will use the images to create a mosaic image of Earth — a new “Blue Marble” built bit by bit with your photos. Get more info on how to participate here.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will peak in the early hours of Earth Day but will be visible most of the week. With 10-20 meteors an hour possible, the Earth will be putting on quite a show.
Earth Day Network members are hosting 10,000 Earth Day events around the world. The theme of this year’s Earth Day is Green Cities. Find a listing of events around the world here.
Have more Earth Day is Every Day Tips? Please share them by posting in the Comments section below.
Don’t forget to enter EverBeautiful.com’s Giveaway for a chance to win either an IlluMask Anti-Aging or Anti-Acne mask. It’s a great Giveaway. Click here for the info on how to enter.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Watering the Planet with S’well Water Bottles
Are Your Cosmetics Making You Fat?
Amazing blog! Utterly relatable! You should
Do a book, Mel. You can communicate
this to a huge audience! You totally invite,
inspire and educate! As ALWAYS! Thank
You!
Thanks Sar! I really appreciate your kind words and support. Love you!