If you’re anything like me, the recent talks about climate change are extremely stressful. With Earth Day on the way, I’m feeling more motivated than ever to give back to our planet. I’ve done lot of research on what I can do on Earth Day to make me feel a little bit better about my footprint on Earth. Here’s a list of five things I think everyone should do on Earth day to help make our planet a more sustainable place:
- PLANT A PLANT
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I know it may seem cheesy, but planting a plant on Earth Day can have a big impact! Even your everyday house plant can do the trick. According to houseplantscorner.com “The average indoor plant will produce 900 ml of oxygen/day or 27 liters of oxygen a month.” House plants, like many other plants, help fight air pollution. So not only will you have beautiful greenery for your house, but you can also get a breath of fresh air in the morning! If you have the space in your yard to plant a tree, you can bring even more fresh oxygen to your home. Whether you choose to add a house plant to your living room or a tree to your back yard, planting any plant will create better air quality for our planet!
- GO ON A PICNIC
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Spring has sprung and the weather for this weekend is looking up, making it the perfect time for a picnic! Earth Day is all about giving back and appreciating the Earth, so a picnic is the perfect way to do that. My favorite picnic spot on campus is the Oval because its a great place to sit with friends and soak up the sun. At the end of your meal, don’t forget to recycle your items and leave the space as it was before. The nice weather is coming just in time for us to give back in a fun way!
- WATCH A NETFLIX documentary
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I’ll admit that David Attenboroughs’ “Life on Earth” documentaries are my guilty pleasure. There’s no better time to dive into environmental education than Earth Day! There’s a documentary about nearly every aspect of the Earth from the deserts to the oceans. The videography in these documentaries is outstanding and really helps you grasp what’s going on in the parts of the world people don’t traditionally see. I also highly recommend watching “Chasing Coral”, “Seaspiracy” and “Mission Blue” to get a better grasp on the truth of our planet.
- Make the switch
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In 2019, being a VSCO Girl seemed to be all people were talking about. Being a VSCO Girl meant having a reusable water bottle, practicing sustainable practices and saving the turtles! Even though people made fun on VSCO girls, I think adopting these practices and switching to sustainable options can help the planet. According to earthday.org, “It is estimated that 10-20 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans every year, costing up to $13 billion a year in losses from damage to the marine ecosystems, clean-up costs, financial losses to fisheries and ocean-based tourism.” There are tons of reusable water bottle options you can switch to instead of plastic. Other easy switches to make for reusable alternatives are grocery bags, Tupperware, straws and silverware. The little things in our daily life can end up having a huge impact on our planet.
Earth Days’ theme this year is “Invest in our Planet.” So, as you wrap up your school work on Friday, take the time to think about the little things you can do to to make a big impact on our planet. Happy Earth Day!