Did you know that the number of garbage trucks Americans fill each year could stretch halfway to the moon? Considering we have only one planet to survive on, we should learn to take care of it. This is why we celebrate Earth Day on 22nd April every year to raise awareness about the problems Mother Earth is facing every day. It does not always require big, grand gestures to make a difference, but small yet significant steps to save the Earth. Here are 51 best Earth day tips.
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51 Ways You Can Make An Impact On Earth Day
Here are 51 Earth Day tips that can help make a difference:
- The first one is obvious, encourage planting of trees. Plant trees in and around your locality. Try to organise tree plantation programmes for the community.
- Reduce the consumption of energy. Turn off lights and fans when you leave the room, or your house.
- Switch to energy-efficient appliances. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). These not only consume less energy, but also last longer. Use appliances such as air fryers which cook without electricity.
- Appliances such as TVs, DVD players, stereos, microwaves use energy even when switched off .Switch off power strips and consider unplugging these devices when you’re not using them.
- Make friends with the microwave. Microwave ovens tend to use 80% less energy and cook faster!
- While cooking on the stove, put a lid on the pot as this can reduce the energy consumption by two-thirds.
- Try to cut down on the use of appliances that emit CFCs such as refrigerators and air-conditioners.
- Use rechargeable batteries.
- Make proper use of the thermostat. Set it a few degrees higher in summer and a few degrees lower in winter.
- Use weather-stripping and caulking to minimise heat loss from windows and doors of the house.
- Save water! Do not leave taps running and turn them off when the bucket is full. Turn off taps while brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Use cold water to wash your clothes. Switching from hot to cold water can reduce the energy consumption by almost 80% annually.
- Take shorter showers to save water.
- Avoid bottled water. Bottled water is inefficient and expensive. Use a refillable water bottle and tap water.
- Fix leaky faucets in your bathroom to avoid wastage of water.
- Switch to low-flow showers and toilets.
- Promote rainwater harvesting. Put out a bucket to collect rain water and later on, use this water for gardening purposes.
- Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.
- Say no to plastic. Plastic items are extremely dangerous for the environment. So, stop the usage of plastic bags. Carry your items in reusable tote bags,
- Follow the three R’s- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Following this simple formula can help reduce the amount of waste generated.
- Reuse items like shopping bags, bottles and paper. Use recycled paper and products made from recycled items.
- Ensure proper disposal of waste. Have separate waste bins for recyclable and non-recyclable items.
- Have a separate space for disposal of e-waste. Do not burn e-waste as this releases toxic chemicals into the air, thus increasing the levels of pollution.
- Check the insulation of your house. Proper insulation can reduce energy consumption by almost 20% per year.
- Organise a clean-up drive in your locality. Encourage people to participate in it and together, clean up your surroundings.
- Make cleaning products at home. Instead of using modern household cleaning items that are expensive. Use eco-friendly alternatives like baking soda and vinegar to clean your kitchen!
- Buy your groceries judiciously. Buy only whatever you need and do not buy extra items that you will only throw away later.
- Go organic. Buy local, seasonal produce as these will reduce the consumption of resources for transportation.
- Limit the consumption of meat and fish per week. Try and go vegan as much as you can.
- Grow a garden at your house, no matter how small it is. Try growing flowers and fruits and vegetables in it.
- Go for initiatives like paperless billing and online payments, that reduce the use of paper. Read magazines or articles online.
- Try and avoid the Print button and even then, print on both sides of the paper.
- Use cloth towels and hand dryers at washrooms, instead of paper towels.
- Start composting! Use dead flowers, garden waste and kitchen scrape for compost. Composting not only reduces the amount of waste, but also is a nutrient boost to your garden!
- Go solar! You can switch the outdoor lights of your house to solar lights. Install solar devices at your house and go eco-friendly!
- Repurpose your household items and try buying second-hand items.
- Follow the policy of ‘Share and Borrow’ when it comes to items like books.
- Whether you know it or not, it is very important to save bees as they are extremely important for our ecosystem. You can contribute to saving bees by purchasing organic honey or donating to bee charities.
- Purchase food from bulk bins to save money and packaging.
- Opt for carpooling and public transport whenever you can, instead of driving to your workplace.
- Keep your tyres properly inflated and get better gas mileage in your car.
- Encourage work-from-home days at your workplace to reduce the energy consumption of transportation.
- Recycle empty ink and toner cartridges.
- Bring your lunch to work in reusable containers rather than plastic bags or aluminium foil. Don’t forget regular silverware and reusable napkins.
- At your office, use smart power strips that will turn off peripheral equipment when the primary device is turned off. For example, when you shut down the computer connected to a power strip, the connected monitor and printer will be turned off too.
- Activate power-saver and sleep mode features on all computers at your office.
- Keep at least one plant in your office.
- Calculate and try to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Party the green way! While big expensive parties account for great celebrations, you can always keep it green while enjoying. Go for gestures like making invitation cards from recycled paper, asking guests to bring homemade food etc.
- Limit the size of the family. For example, do not go for more than 2 children. This will reduce the consumption of resources.
- Educate people. This is probably the most important step towards raising awareness for Earth Day. Organise workshops and presentation sessions to teach people how they can become eco-friendly and contribute towards making the Earth cleaner and greener.
Following the above tips can reduce wastage of energy and help make the Earth a cleaner and greener place! Happy Earth Day!
