Happy Earth Day! Let's take a moment to breathe in the fresh oxygen that our Earth provides for us. Everything the Earth gives us, from the food, the water, and to our every breath, seems to get overlooked in the busyness of life. So this Earth Day, let's #InvestInOurPlanet and take part in some easy but very beneficial ways to help keep our home green and healthy!
Quick Tips:
- Use Reusable Items:
Bring your own tote bag to the store instead of using the plastic bags they offer. Most grocery and department stores these days will ask if you would like a bag or if you want to use your own. My suggestion is to keep a tote bag or two in the vehicle you usually use to drive around. So, if you ever have to take a sudden trip to the store, you won't have to worry about not having your trusty tote bag. You can also keep a folded tote bag in your backpack/handbag/personal carry-on with you if you are walking to the store too.
Utilize metal and glass water bottles, containers, straws, and utensils rather than plastic or single-use versions of these items. Many of these items can be kept in an every day carry-on and will be handy for unexpected stops at restaurants/fast-food places, and more! Make sure to wash metal and glass products after use!
Collect empty jars and containers to be reuse for storage. Whether this be a jam jar or a glass cup which contained a food/drink in it that you bought, wash and store these containers after you are finished to reuse them. In my experience, empty jars have helped with storing homemade jams, snacks, and more in our refrigerator and pantry.
- Conserve Energy and Water:
If you're able to, turn off light switches when you leave the room! Even if you'll be back in a few minutes, all it takes is an extra five seconds when you leave the room and an extra five seconds when you enter the room.
If you have the option, choose to take a shower over a bath. It takes much more water to fill up a bath tub (about 70 gallons to fill a full bath tub) then to take a 5 -10 minute shower (about 10 to 25 gallons for a five minute shower). Either way, make the effort to cut down on the time spent taking showers and baths.
In addition, try not to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. It may come as a surprise to you, but the average amount of water wasted while a person brushes their teeth as they keep the water running is 4 gallons.
- Using public transportation, carpooling, a bike, walking, etc. to travel to your home, school, work, stores, and/or any other places if you are comfortable and when you can:
Using public transportation and carpooling are great ways to minimize the variety of harmful gas emissions vehicles have as byproducts.
Biking and walking may require more time, but they have nearly zero-damage to the environment and are great ways to get some exercise in.
- Recycle and Compost:
Keep a recycling bin and a compost bin at your home! In my experience, it's really hard to initiate these kinds of good habits without having a complete and set plan for how your are collecting the recyclable materials and compost. Using containers for these items is the first step to doing this.
Just as a friendly reminder, a lot of the items which Union County and other counties/regions can recycle are more restricted than you would think. In Union County, most small quantities of paper, cardboard, plastic, cartons, glass, and metal are fine to put out to recycle.
Also if you want to have a composting bin, make sure you can keep it somewhere outside of your home. The smell and bugs it may attract are not something which you will want inside.
Get Involved/Community Events!
Here in Union County, we have a variety of events taking place to celebrate Earth Day! You can do a quick Google search to see what's going on around us or you can create your own activities to do with family, friends, and other individuals!
Some ideas include picking up trash in your neighborhood or in the area around your home or planting trees in a pot, a yard, etc.
Whatever you choose to do to celebrate our Earth on Earth Day, just make sure your parents or guardians have given you the thumbs up to do it and make sure to stay safe while you're at it!
Earth Day Crafts & Activities
One other great way to celebrate Earth Day is to make some environmentally-friendly artwork and crafts. On the Internet, you can find lots of DIY crafts using recycled materials and more. You'll also find lots of creative ways to pot plants in your home and outside. Most of the materials you need to do these crafts can most likely be found in your home. The idea of an Earth Day craft is to utilize those everyday items we often don't realize we can reuse for other things. Here are some cool websites where you can find videos to make different Earth Day Crafts:
