The earth, that’s right you heard me, and you know it’s true. We all call one place home and that’s the big ol’ blue in the Milky Way, earth, but sooner or later we won’t have this beautiful place in common… or anything in common with anyone if we don’t save our planet.
We have forgotten how important the earth, its habitats, and its species are. We have forgotten that the earth sustains us. We have forgotten that there is no us without our earth.
But it’s not too late because people like you and me can protect our home by being aware and making changes. Not enough time to volunteer? Too much of a hassle? Here is a small list of actions that can fit each and every one of our lifestyles. Now there are no excuses!
Beginner:
- Turn off your computer at night and you’ll save about $14 a year
- Skip rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher and you’ll save 20 gallons of water per load
- Use cruise control when driving and you can get up to 15% more mileage
Intermediate:
- Buy your own coffee cup. Use it at home and bring it on the go to your favorite coffee stores. Many stores offer a discount if you bring your own cup!
- Before you throw something away, think about giving it away. Donate your items or post them to freecycle.org.
- Invest in shopping bags that aren’t plastic. Plastic bags aren’t biodegradable and are filling up our land and ocean causing buildup and harm to our animals. Reusable bags are worth the dollar.
Advanced:
- Contact your bank and request online bank statements instead of paper ones. If every household did this, the money saved could send more than 17,000 high school graduates to college for a year. Some banks will even pay you a small incentive for this.
- 100 million trees are cut down each year due to junk mail as the average American receives 40 pounds of junk mail each year. There are services that can help you reduce the junk mail to save the tress and your counter space!
- Buy local. Think about all the pollution created from running errands here, there, and everywhere. When you support your local farmers, businesses, etc. you are supporting the economy and reducing greenhouse gases.
Our earth is imperfect and we are imperfect too, but with the hope of creation and the promise of life we must answer the call to care for our environment through big and small practices!