April 07, 2021

Green is the New Black: 20 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day on April 22!

 

Earth Day began in 1970 but the seeds were planted way before … during World War II the US Government asked us to collect paper, aluminum, tin, iron, steel, rubber, silk stockings, and cooking fat. States were given quotas. There was an abundance of media support and advertising. If you didn’t recycle you were aiding the enemy.

While every day should be Earth Day, there is an actual day – April 22^nd – that is officially known as Earth Day. This is as good a day as any to begin looking around for ways to save our planet. I mean after all, what good is life if you don’t have a decent planet on which to live it? So here are a few quick ways to get you all started:

1. Spread the word! Non-recyclers aren’t mean ole Earth haters taking orders from a supreme evil empire out to destroy the world as we know it. They’re simply uninformed. Talk to your friends and family.  Keep it simple. Recycling has created jobs. It takes less energy and resources to recycle a product into a new one than to use virgin materials. Our landfills are filling up fast (and in my humble opinion, we will be mining landfills one day for precious metals). Just the basics. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

2. Plant a tree.

3. Take shorter showers.

4. Use reusable bags to carry groceries and/or for lunch.

5. Re-use everything you can at least once.

6. Do your laundry in cold water.

7. Pay your bills online.

8. Clean up a park or roadside or beach.

9. Clean out the toybox, garage, basement … give to charity or someone in need.

10. Ride your bike or walk or carpool.

11. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.

12. Shut the water off when brushing your teeth.

13. Unplug – not the tv but your curling irons, cell phones, coffee pots, etc.

14. Exchange your kitchen trash can for a recycle bin – 80% of your household materials can be recycled.

15. Turn the thermostat down or off. Open the windows.

16. STOP buying bottled water. It’s the biggest scam there is.

17. Get rid of junk mail – Google it. There are a ton of sites that allow you to opt-out of different sources of junk mail.

18. Buy local and buy seasonal!!

19. Buy items made from recycled materials.

20. Look for eco-friendly cleaning products.

Go Green this Earth Day! Small changes lead to big impact, and every little bit makes the difference.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

~ Margaret Mead

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