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4 Ways To Start Celebrating Earth Day Everyday
Earth day comes around once a year, April 22nd. This is the perfect time for everyone to get those cute nature posts up with the hashtag #Earthday but many people don’t understand the true meaning behind Earth Day.
Earth Day was created in 1970 and since then has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, focused on educating and promoting ways that people can live an eco-friendlier sustainable lifestyle. This one day is a reminder to everyone how important our planet is and that we need to take care of it. In 1970 before Earth Day was started, a factory could release black clouds of toxic smoke into the air and dump tons of toxic waste into a local stream and not worry about any backlash or any repercussions. Since this time many have worked hard to reverse these bad habits and promote healthy living.
If you would like to celebrate our planet everyday here are 4 eco-smart ways to do so.
Challenge yourself:
This is a trend I have noticed on social media, bloggers and youtubers trying the 5 days of Going Garbage Free. One Youtuber Lucie Fink did it in her https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZuD3Oxd6I
Refinery 29’s new video 5 Days of Zero Trash. Lucie meets and talks with other people who live this sustainable life and it’s eye opening to watch. You follow along her struggles of living this way, collecting together any trash she does make but also get to see how many small changes you can make that can make a huge footprint. For example, straws are such a bug problem because they end up so easily in our oceans and some people drink out of 3-4 straws a day. I feel a little guilty as I’m writing this up because I looked down and I have a smoothie with a plastic straw right in front of me. This could easily be replaced by buying a stainless steel reusable straw and I have seen so many companies trying this out and making these products. I challenge you all to try this 5 day lifestyle and see what you can make of it.
Try new products:
When you’re picking out new beauty products, like me you probably tend to head to your local Ulta or Sephora. Instead of doing this try searching online for companies who make and sell more sustainable products with better ingredients not only for the planet but for you too. We have recently partnered with some beauty companies who stand by better ingredients for the consumer. The first company Ecco Bella, focuses on cruelty free, natural beauty product development. “At Ecco Bella, we invent hard-to-find beauty products where we break all the rules.” They have a full line of beauty, skin and makeup products that we highly recommend trying out! Check out some of our favorite looks and products at https://www.eccobella.com/ambassadors/and use our code HerCampus18 for 25% off your next eco-friendly order!
Check the Labels
All of our products we buy everyday have labels but if you look at the fine print here are some things to look out for to minimize your impact on wildlife and the planet.
For coffee:
look for “shade-grown” which is grown while keeping forest habitats intact for migratory birds and other species.
For other goods:
look for “Fair Trade” certified goods when possible to support companies dedicated to sustainable production and paying laborers a fair wage.
For food:
Buy organic food whenever possible; it may cost a little more, but it keeps harmful pesticides out of our land and water, protecting farm workers, wildlife and your family.
Skip the Bottle:
Be more conscious when buying that case of plastic water bottles for your home. Instead spend a few more dollars and buy a reusable water bottle that can be used over and over again with no waste. Bottled water companies try to give tap water a bad name, even though the water from your faucet is practically free and much city water has won quality tests and taste tests against name-brand water. The extraction of water and production of all those plastic bottles is also notoriously harmful to communities and wildlife.