April 22 is Earth Day, an annual holiday focused on education of environmental issues and promoting green living. Since 1970, countries around the globe use the day to host events encouraging action to protect the Earth. In the age of social media, feeds are flooded with “Happy Earth Day” posts each year.
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Billions of people will celebrate Earth Day by picking up garbage or planting trees, but April 23 they will wake up and continue their usual life.
Every day should be Earth Day. Every day, we should be practicing sustainable living, by altering energy consumption, minimizing waste and ending pollution.
Easier said than done. Or is it?
Environmentalist and plant-based vegan, Mary Edwards, says being kind to the Earth and implementing green choices into one’s life doesn’t have to be challenging. Edwards suggests some simple ways to incorporate green living into people’s everyday routine:
Eat smart
“Eat locally grown foods and shop at local farmer’s markets,” says Edwards. “Eat what’s in season.” Right now, pineapples, avocado, and some leafy greens are in season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Edwards also suggests when grocery shopping, purchase items with as little packaging as possible.
“It’s better to purchase unpackaged heads of lettuce, for example, instead of pre-packaged, pre-washed lettuce, because packaged items require more energy use to go from farm to store shelves,” says Edwards.
Minimize Waste
Earth Day 2018 will focus on raising awareness of ending pollution. About 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year and only 10% gets recycled, according to the New York Times.
To move to a cleaner and healthier Earth, the U.S. has banned the production of personal care products and cosmetics containing microbeads, because some marine life mistaken the small plastic beads as food sources. Furthermore, cities across the U.S. are fighting to ban plastic single-use drinking straws, which are now considered a Top-10 polluter.
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Use reusable food containers, such as refillable water bottles, to minimize waste of harmful plastics. Edwards also suggests limiting the use of paper and plastic products such as disposable plates, cutlery and paper towels.
“Reach for cloth towels when you need to dry your hands, instead of paper towels,” says Edwards. Not only does this eliminate waste, but opting out of paper products also saves energy in production.
Reduce Energy Use
Edwards suggests turning off lights to save on electricity and turn the A/C off or change the degrees up or down, depending on your area when you’re not home. Additionally, combine loads of laundry and hand wash dishes, instead of using the dishwasher. Not only does this save on energy use, it saves money.
“Appliance use is a big one,” says Edwards. “Anything to reduce your electricity bill is good for the environment as well.”
These are just a few of the small ways we can make environmentally-friendly choices each day. April 22 can’t be the only day we decide to make a difference; we can make a difference every day, starting today, by incorporating green practices into our lives.
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