Celebrating Earth Day With These Ten Tips

Celebrating Earth Day With These Ten Tips

The best way to honor our planet all year round is to do your part when it comes to protecting the environment.

By Kaylee Duff

Not everyone has the luxury or privilege to be able to live the greenest life, but here are ten simple tips that can help us reduce our carbon footprint and look forward to a greener tomorrow:

1. Reduce, reuse and recycle

Is it any surprise that this is first on the list? It really shouldn’t be! The three R’s you learned about in elementary school are still the easiest, most effective ways to doing your part for the environment. Humans create a LOT of trash every single day. What can you do to REDUCE the amount of items you put in a landfill? My suggestion is to stop buying buying things you don’t need. Limit your spending and your waste by only purchasing products you know you need. Do what you can to REUSE anything possible. Plastic food containers make excellent storage for future leftovers! The Internet is full of fun DIY projects all about using items you already have in your home. And don’t forget to RECYCLE anything you can! It’s surprising how many people don’t recycle. Maybe you can’t pay for a company to come pick it up at your house. That’s okay! Many public places or plants have recycling drop-off areas. Once every couple weeks, I take all my recycling to a local fire station. It’s free (just pay the couple minutes worth of transportation) and easy! But be sure to only recycle what is actually recyclable.

2. Make the switch

Greener products and appliances may be more expensive at the beginning, but end up saving money in the long-term and are better for the environment. See what you can do about buying more energy-efficient items like lightbulbs or greener household cleaning products. In the market for a larger appliance, like a fridge or a car? Check and see what green options are out there for you. Another switch you can make is to support large companies and corporations who are dedicated to saving the planet. Do your research and find out what works best for you, your lifestyle, your price range and the environment when it comes to buying anything from small, everyday items to large, one-time purchases.

3. Help prevent pollution

First of all, stop littering. Just stop. Stop leaving trash on the ground. Stop throwing trash out of your car. Make sure your waste is properly disposed of at all times. Volunteer to go pick up debris in a park or along a highway. Recycle everything possible. Second, skip the hazardous materials, like toxic cleaners or beauty products with microplastics in them. This cuts down on the amount of toxic chemicals polluting the globe. Third, limit the amount of driving you do. The COTA buses are a great, affordable transportation option in central Ohio. Not into buses or trains? Carpool with friends or coworkers! Every little bit helps. Fourth, buy local produce or even grow your own. Not only is this a cleaner way to eat and a good way to teach the value of food, but it reduces the energy used to ship food across the country.

4. Reduce food waste

This is an important tip, but not always the first one people think of. Americans waste food at an alarming rate, but there are several easy ways to be more conscious of that. Only buy what you need. Ordering food in bulk, if you’re not feeding large groups, is an easy way to let a lot of food go bad in the pantry or fridge. Only order the amount of food at a restaurant that you’ll eat, and always take home your leftovers. Support restaurants that donate extra food to places like shelters instead of throwing it away, and advocate for more restaurants to do exactly that. Extra leftovers can be shared with a neighbor in need or traded with neighbors or coworkers. Make lists of the food you have to stop buying extra and to make sure it all gets eaten. Offer to neighbors and friends extra produce or items that you know you won’t use before the food goes bad. Meal-planning is also a great way to limit food waste! Knowing exactly what you’re eating that week and buying only that food ensures that everything is used. Composting is another great option. If you’ve got a garden or a yard, this is a great way to enrich your ecosystem as well. You can learn more about reducing food waste at savethefood.com.

5. Conserve energy

This one’s easy — turn off lights, electronics and appliances when you’re not using them. Don’t leave things plugged in. Not only will this cut down your utility bills, but it also reduces pollution. If you’re able to, look into green energy options for large, one-time purchases like fridges or cars, and try to buy energy-saving items like light bulbs. Make sure things like your air conditioning unit are running smoothly; broken machines take more energy to run. Also, make sure your house or apartment is properly insulated. Turn your AC and heat off as much as possible! Open the windows if it’s nice out — not only will that save money, but the fresh air and nice breeze are great for the home environment.

6. Practice greener landscaping

If you’re someone with a nice lawn or yard who likes to garden, this tip is for you. It’s important to extend environmental awareness to all parts of the home! Keep your grass and yard healthy, and try to limit the amount you use a hose when cleaning, if possible (saves water and elongates life of plants). Absolutely never use toxic fertilizers or pesticides; instead, plant native species that are naturally resistant to pets. If you must use them, go for the greener, cleaner options — and don’t use too much. Pull your weeds by hand, whenever possible. Also, try to implement “rain gardens” into your yard. This reduces storm runoff and stops the spread of pollution during heavy rainfall or storms.

7. Conserve water

Obviously, don’t just let your water run for no reason. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with clean, drinkable tap water, don’t take it for granted. Take shorter, colder showers and don’t let it run while doing things like shaving or brushing your teeth. Save water when washing dishes or laundry — only do full loads, and use the proper settings on your appliance. Have a leaky faucet? Get it looked at! Trust me, having a faucet that leaks 24/7 is annoying, expensive and wastes a massive amount of water.

8. Advocate for greener living

Join a local volunteer group dedicated to cleaning up your hometown. Supporting your local community is an easy, effective and wonderful way to support a cleaner environment. Shop local. Go to a farmer’s market. A quick Google search can instantly tell you how to get involved on a grassroots level. You can also go out and advocate to get new forms of alternative energy in your area. Think solar panels, windmills, etc.

9. Teach kids about the environment

This extends to everyone around you — educate your family, friends, neighbors, strangers, that person you met at the grocery store. But we all know that children are, end stop, the future of the planet. If you have kids, or if your siblings have kids, or if you babysit, or if you’re a teacher, share your knowledge about the Earth with them. Let them know all the things they can do, and set a great example when it comes to reducing, recycling and reusing products. Get them involved! There’s all sorts of books, programs and camps available for children interested in the environment. If you instill good habits in them now, it will help tenfold with future generations.

10. VOTE

Always. If you’re a registered voter, make sure you vote in every election — especially on the local level. Change begins at home, but only so much can happen until those ideals are backed by someone in public office making changes on a larger level. So do your research, and vote for the candidates who believe in science, climate change and will advocate for regulations that will benefit the environment. A vote from a concerned citizen is the number one way to make your voice heard. And if there was ever a topic to share your thoughts on, it’s this! After all, there’s no Planet B.