5 simple things you can do this Earth Day to help restore the planet
Earth Day, such an important occasion! In recent years, it has become even more important as we became more conscious of the effect humans are having on our planet. However, Earth Day shouldn't be just one day of raising awareness and acting to protect the environment - it should be every day!
Now we are not saying you should go cold turkey on meat and live in a hut in the forest (although if that is you, well done!). But there are certain things that we can do to help ease the pressure on our planet’s natural resources and to start living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
The Earth Day network website has put together a huge number of resources on how we can all help restore the Earth. For this article, we picked our top 5 tips!
1. Be open minded and/or selective about your diet
It sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but it is really about being flexible with your diet while keeping in mind important aspects.
Have you ever considered eating more veggie or vegan dishes? A vegetarian or vegan diet is said to be more environmentally friendly because of the amount of gases that cattle use as well as the land needed for herds. We’re not saying you should go all vegan but you might find that by challenging yourself to one veggie/vegan meal (or whole day) a week, for example, you might actually start enjoying it! In fact, you might even look forward to it. If you are feeling adventurous you can always expand it to all week-day lunches for example.
Another way to make your diet more environmentally friendly is keeping an eye on location - do you know where your food is coming from? Have you considered how far it has travelled to get to you? By being more selective with where your food comes from, whether it is organic, or sustainably sourced, you can make a difference! By establishing certain parameters you want from your food, for example shopping local, you ensure you are getting fresher food that didn’t have to travel long, and bonus, are seasonal - keeping you on our toes! Alternatively, going organic ensures that no pesticides are used and therefore there is a smaller toll on our planet.
Finally, plan ahead! Meal preps is one of the best ways to help reduce food waste. Try a foodprint calculator to find out exactly how your meals impact the planet!
2. Get creative to reduce your plastic usage
Plastic pollution is one of the most important environmental problems that we face today. The problem with plastic (and in a way its USP) is that, unless recycled, it is long-lasting, meaning it can stay around forever. There is also a variety of plastic items that cannot be recycled, which means it ends up in landfill or in our oceans, even making their way back to us through micro plastics.
By avoiding single-use plastics, and opting instead for glass or paper you can make a huge difference! Glass products are easily reused and paper is a much friendlier product to the environment.
You can use Earth Day Network's Plastic Calculator to see how much plastic you use in a year - you will be surprised with the numbers!
3. Take the litter home with you
As we all spend more time outside, we are enjoying taking advantage of beauty spots and even the local park! But what isn't nice is finding all the litter splattered around. A great way to support our beaches and outdoor areas is to join in litter pick-up events.
But a more direct approach might be easier too! For example, if you are out on the walk, why don’t you bring a bag and pick up any litter you find in your way. It’s a great way to save items from the landfill and you can get the children involved by making it a challenge or game! Better still, tackle the problem at its root, if you have rubbish you want to throw away while not at home, use a public bin or again, bring a bag and take it home with you to recycle properly.
4. Integrate a simple act of green into your daily routine
Challenge yourself to add a green act into your daily routine. Maybe take a shorter shower and use a water-saving shower head. Or forego the shampoo bottles and get a shampoo bar instead. Take a walk or cycle instead of driving or getting a taxi. There are little things you can do, such as take your reusable food containers to your grocery shop, or only switch the lights on in the room you are in. Not only will you help the planet, you might save yourself some money in the process!
5. Give green energy a go!
Batteries, petrol, gas - we use so many energy sources for everyday things (like our TV remote controls). Why not make a switch to renewable and rechargeable sources? Non-rechargeable batteries and energy sources such as petrol have a huge impact on the environment, and by choosing a provider that opts for solar, wind or renewable power you can really make a difference. Already use a green provider for your home energy or don’t really have a say in it? Look out for retailers that use renewables in their day to day. For example, why not go for an electric taxi company? Or an energy company that uses solely renewable power? Even switching your remotes’ batteries to rechargeable once the current ones go (and recycle them) can help reduce the number of pollution in the world.
Whatever you do, every little step counts towards making our planet a healthier more sustainable world. Let’s be kinder to our planet and restore our Earth!
To read more about how else you can help restore the planet, head to https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-tips/
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