How did you spend Earth Day? Perhaps you planted a tree, volunteered, reduced your energy use for the day, or all of the above and more. Mother Nature thanks you! But why stop saving the planet on April 23rd? In our eyes, every day should be Earth Day. Don’t let all that good energy from this past weekend fizzle out. Keep your green actions coming — make these simple, eco-friendly tweaks to your daily routine today!
At Home
Unplug
It may seem inconvenient, but unplugging electronics when possible makes a huge difference in energy usage. Appliances plugged in are always using a little bit of power, even when you aren’t using them. It’s time to cut those electricity vampires off for good!
Go Paperless
Paying bills has become quick and easy with the aid of computers, so why do we still have paper bills cluttering up our space? Thankfully, many companies use paperless billing. Instead of receiving useless paper in the mail, you can opt to receive email reminders to pay bills electronically.
Compost
Did you know that composting effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions? When organic material — think banana peels, yard trimmings and coffee grounds — is thrown in the trash, it heads to a landfill where it is broken down by bacteria to make methane. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that absorbs 100 times more heat than carbon dioxide. By composting your food waste rather than throwing it away, you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you don’t have room for your own compost pile, look into your city’s municipal garbage programs for organic waste pickup.
At the Store
BYOB
Those flimsy plastic bags that hold your groceries are not only impractical — they’re probably not the best option for the planet. Plastic bags are not biodegradable. They can take up to 1,000 years to break down and often spend that time sitting in landfills or polluting the ocean. The image of millions of plastic grocery bags dirtying up the environment is enough to make you veer away from the stuff. Start bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store, or simply go without a bag if you have a light enough load.
Buy Local
When we head to buy produce in January, it doesn’t faze us when we see aisles…
