For this Earth Day I thought I would list some easy eco-friendly tips you can begin doing today to make an impact. My journey to be sustainable has been a long time in the making. Growing up, I did not really have the means to choose which products to use and I did not fully understand the relationship humans have with overconsumption. Within the last few years, becoming more sustainable and eco-friendly has become a passion of mine. I love learning about the environment and the world we live in. When I make sustainable choices, I truly feel like I am making a difference in the world. It is amazing when I get to share my passion with others and help share with them the options that are out there. Many people do not realize that there are sustainable alternatives to everyday items that they use. I aim to give suggestions that anyone, regardless of situation, can start implementing today to make an impact on the future of our planet! The biggest way to make an impact is to be a conscious consumer and think about our choices before we make them.
1. Aluminum and Glass Over Plastic
Aluminum and glass are highly recyclable materials that can be easily reused, recycled, and repurposed. Plastics on the other hand are hard to recycle and barely ever truly get recycled. We used to live in a society where milk was given in glass bottles that were refilled after use. Today, we use our plastic milk containers once before they're thrown away. One easy switch you can make is buying your drinks in glass or aluminum bottles and cans. I sometimes get bored of water so I buy flavored seltzer water in aluminum cans. Small switches like this cut your plastic consumption down dramatically. Even switching to a reusable water bottle rather than a single-use plastic bottle helps in a huge way. Plastic in general is not great for the planet but reusable plastics will always be the better alternative to single use plastics.
2. Grow your own food
Foods impact on the environment is a culmination of many factors including where its grown, how its grown, and its final destination. Natural land that needed to be destroyed in order to grow it is factored in as well. Imported food releases a lot of emissions from the airplanes, ships, and trucks it takes to get it to a grocery store near you. These factors also make food more expensive. There are a bunch of different vegetables, fruits, and herbs that you can grow in a variety of climates and settings, some even indoors. I started a garden out on my deck in September of this year and so far I have grown 2 types of lettuce and carrots! I have been able to have a fresh salad everyday all winter! I also tried to grow broccoli, lettuce, and cucumbers, but those all died or flowered before I got any food out of them. Growing food is an excellent hobby and activity for kids. It teaches them responsibility, patience, and attention to detail as well as provides them with a delicious reward! For Earth Day today, I planted some cantaloupe, watermelon, corn, beans, cucumber, and carrots. Fingers crossed they sprout and produce some tasty treats!
3. Beach/Neighborhood Cleanup
One easy way to help clean up our planet is to pick up litter we find wherever we go. Next time you are on a walk around your neighborhood, at the beach, or anywhere really, you can have a bag and gloves (if you would like) handy to pick up and litter you see on the road. This helps to ensure wild animals do not eat the trash and get sick, that it is properly disposed of, and that it does not cause harm and break down where it shouldn't. I was able to do a beach clean up on a beach in Tangier while I was studying abroad in Morocco on Earth Day in 2018 and it was so much fun! It is such instant gratification to see what you have prevented from entering our ecosystem! You can also turn it into a competition or game to see who can collect the most litter in a given time frame. Plogging, picking up trash while jogging, has become very popular recently...That is a trend I can get behind.
4. Compost
A lot of food is wasted in the United States everyday, creating more emissions if its thrown away and not properly composted. You can start a compost pile or bin in your back yard. You can put in certain food waste from your kitchen and leaves/sticks from your landscaping. Eventually you will have great fertilized soil you can use for your garden. Make sure to do some research on how to get the most out of your compost before making one, they can be a bit difficult to care for at first.
5. Make Sustainable Choices
Being a conscious consumer is one of the big actions you can take daily to help create large scale change. Buying products that use sustainable sourced palm oil, eating from places that source seafood sustainably, and going meatless at least once a week or eating meat alternatives are fabulous ways to reduce your footprint and the strain put on the environment and food chain. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo offers an app that shows you which brands use sustainably sourced palm oil. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has their Seafood Watch app and website that shows you places that have seafood that is sustainable. Boca, Quorn, and Morningstar make great fake meat products, some even shaped like Mickey Mouse!
6. Support local and Small Businesses
Going local is always going to be better for the environment. Getting food from you local farmer's market, butcher, etc. ensures your food did not have to travel far, reducing transportation emissions that most foods have. Local also usually tastes better and is of better quality because things are made in small batches. I also love shopping at my local Sprouts because many of their products are locally sourced, not to mention the products they carry have to meet certain sustainability standards. Supporting local and small businesses also helps to support your local economy and helps someone achieve their dreams of owning a business. On of my favorite small businesses right now is The Plant Sitter in San Jose. I have bought many succulents and plants from the woman owned plant boutique. Growing plants is also an amazing way to help the environment. Certain house plants help to clean the air in our homes by removing harsh chemicals emitted by everyday appliances and possessions.
7. Buy from Sustainable businesses
When you can't buy local or prefer online shopping, there are tons of sustainable businesses to help support online. B corporations and 1% for the planet members are always great businesses to support because they have to meet certain emission standards and sustainable practices in order to achieve these titles. 1% for the planet members also donate 1% of their profits to environmental organizations. A few of my favorite sustainable businesses are Final., Stasher bags, Sustain Yourself, Sanikind, Marley's Monsters, Net Zero Company, and many many others. I am in the process of creating a document with a bunch of eco-friendly companies that is organized and easy to see the attributes of the company. Should I share it here when I am done?
8. Terracycle
Terracycle is a great business that collects items that are not municipally recyclable and recycles them. They take cigarette butts, candy wrappers, toothpaste tubes, swiffer dusters, and a ton more products and turn them into new things. Many of their programs are free to join and they will even give you free shipping labels to print out and send stuff to them. Head on over to their website and check out all their amazing recycling lines! They also have some drop off locations for certain items at participating locations, even Suburu dealerships. Many local retailers will also have their own recycling lines for things that cannot be recycled municipally such as plastic bags, corks, and many other items. Some quick research can help you find local stores who participate, a lot of grocery stores do. When all else fails, head on over to you city website to see what is and is not eligible for recycling.
At the and of the day, small actions make big impacts. Reducing your consumption is one of the best things you can do to lower your carbon footprint and make in makes one of the biggest impacts. After that there is reusing, repurposing, fixing, donating, and of course recycling when all else fails. The main goal is to keep things out of landfills. Keep charging forward and making the best choices for yourself and the planet. We do not need a few people making perfect choices but many people making imperfect choices in order to help protect and save our planet. Do not be discouraged or feel like you are not doing enough because as long as you are trying that is all that matters. Slowly integrate new sustainable choices and practices into your routine and you, as well as the planet, will start to feel healthier and happier!
I hope these tips were helpful! I probably missed a ton of others you can do to make a difference. Please feel free to comment with sustainable practices you've integrated into your life and what are some Earth saving activities you love. Happy Earth Day to all! I hope you are able to enjoy the fresh air today and truly connect with nature. Earth day isn't just today, it's everyday! Get out there and save the planet....and don't forget to hug a tree!
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