By: Baylee Maust
Right now you may be thinking, stay indoors on Earth Day? Isn't the whole point to get outdoors and appreciate all the nature on planet earth?
Not necessarily.
Earth Day began in 1970 when a group of college students wanted to bring awareness to the recent oil spills in Santa Barbara, California, and other important environmental issues. The day is dedicated to inspiring humans to reduce waste, protect natural resources, and appreciate Mother Earth.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still a reality, it's important to celebrate Earth Day responsibly. While many large gatherings are still on hold, there are plenty of Earth Day activities you can participate in right from the comfort of your own home that will still make a lasting impact.
Change Your Light Bulbs
The lighting we use in our homes can account for 12% of all the electricity we use. It costs the average household $28 per year to maintain light bulbs. Year after year, these dollars start to add up. Not only are you wasting hard-earned money but also valuable energy, which negatively impacts the health of our planet.
This Earth Day dedicate some time to replacing the incandescent bulbs in your home with energy-efficient options. LED light bulbs are a fantastic alternative because they use less energy and also have a longer lifespan than their more traditional counterparts. Light bulbs awarded with Energy Star certification consume even less energy, which will contribute even more to the conservation of our planet.
Donate Old Clothes
Perhaps you've developed a little online shopping hobby during the quarantine, and the pile of clothes in your closet is beginning to look like Mount Everest. Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to conquer that mountain and donate some of your old clothes!
Not only will you feel an immense weight off your shoulders when you donate old clothes that you haven't worn in years, but by donating old belongings you also free up space in already overflowing landfills. Plus, you’ll cut down on the impacts of mass-production, which uses fossil fuels and a lot of water to create new clothing. You’ll also make someone’s day when they discover a perfectly good shirt you might have thrown out!
Plant a Garden
Enjoy fresh air this Earth Day right in your backyard! Having limited access to our favorite places this past year has been a bit of a challenge, but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy nature while staying safe and healthy. If you have a front or backyard (or even a small patio outside your apartment), you can plant your very own home garden!
The benefits of starting a garden will leave you overflowing with sustainability ideas. Growing a garden is also a great form of exercise that will get you up and moving in the cleaner air, while saving planet earth at the same time!
Pick out your favorite plant or even pot some fruit and veggie seeds and watch them come to life in a few months. Growing your own food will save on trips to the grocery store, meaning you'll drive your car less. (Woohoo for reducing your carbon footprint!) Your beautiful flowers will help insect pollinators thrive and keep bird wildlife bustling, and if you decide to compost instead of using soil, you'll repurpose a ton of kitchen waste. Growing a garden is a win-win Earth Day celebration!
Learn more about the positive impacts of gardening and composting.
Ditch Plastic
A worldwide beach clean-up day hosted by the Ocean Conservancy in 2018 reported that over 1,933,146 plastic pieces were found across the world's oceans. Additionally, volunteers found 1,739,743 food wrappers, 1,569,135 plastic bottles, and 757,523 plastic grocery bags. Single-use plastic products are widely produced and quickly thrown away, making them one of the biggest causes of pollution on our planet.
Make the change and preserve the planet this Earth Day by eliminating as many plastic products from your home as possible. Plastic grocery bags can be swapped out for fashionable reusable bags. Completely cut your plastic bottle needs by investing in a water cooler for your home. This Brio Moderna Cooler is Energy Star-qualified and connects to a water line in your home so you don't even need to use a bulky plastic bottle. The Moderna adds an element of elegance and style to any home, all while saving you energy and cutting plastic and water waste with every sip!
You don't need to save an endangered species, solve climate change, or clean up coral reefs in order to have a productive Earth Day. The small changes you make at home contribute to the larger improvement of planet earth. The COVID-19 crisis may have a lot of us feeling trapped at home where we’re using more energy and water, but there are plenty of ways we can help the natural world grow and thrive.
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