Happy Earth Day! Today and every day, it is essential to remind ourselves that the Earth is our only home, so we must treat it with kindness. The Earth doesn't belong to us; we belong to the Earth.
Although the past year came with many hardships, we need to appreciate the positive impacts lockdown had on our environment. As transportation and industries closed down, there was a sudden drop in greenhouse gas emissions and reduced levels of air pollution. During this time, the primary industrial sources of pollution were minimized drastically, reducing water pollution.
While we take a look at some of these positive impacts that lockdown has had on our environment, it is also essential that we look into the future and how we can further contribute to making the Earth a happy and healthy place.
Here are some ways that you can celebrate Earth Day and give back to our beautiful world:
Go for a nature walk.
Take in all the natural beauties of the world surrounding us. Take a moment to step outside and breathe in the fresh air while enjoying the sunset. Take some pictures to be reminded of all our world has to offer, and bring a small trash bag with you to pick up any litter you might see.
Bring reusable shopping bags.
On your next trip to the store, bring reusable bags instead of taking a bag from the store (plus you'll save 10 cents!)
Start recycling.
Designate a bin for recycling papers, cans, and glass in your home. You can also reuse glass and plastic jars as containers to store food or liquids.
Watch a nature-related documentary.
Some suggestions available on Netflix are Our Planet, Night on Earth: Shot in the Dark, Oceans, Chasing Coral, A Plastic Ocean, and Blackfish.
Purchase a zero-waste product.
Purchasing zero-waste products are simple ways to reduce your waste (and they are often much cuter too!) Some good zero-waste products to invest in are reusable straws and water bottles, bamboo toothbrushes, reusable face towels, soap bars, and toothpaste pellets.
Avoid purchasing from fast fashion brands.
Fast fashion has many negative impacts on our environment. Producing apparel uses massive amounts of water and energy. Also, it usually leads to the depletion of non-renewable sources and the emission of greenhouse gases.
Participate in clean-ups.
Look into group clean-ups that are local to your area.
Go meatless.
If you can, try going meatless. By incorporating vegetarian foods into your diet, we can reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.
There are so many other ways that you can contribute and celebrate. Get creative, get out, and appreciate our home!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498239/#:~:text=The%20global%20disruption%20caused%20by,parts%20of%20the%20world.
https://www.prevention.com/life/g32884332/best-nature-documentaries-netflix/
https://vegsoc.org/info-hub/why-go-veggie/environment/#:~:text=Our%20planet%20is%20heating%20up,and%20other%20greenhouse%20gas%20emissions.&text=A%20vegetarian%20diet%20requires%20two,%2Dbased%20diet%20(8).
earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/
