5 Simple Tips For Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! Today’s all about raising awareness to take care of our beautiful planet Earth, and this year in particular is a historical one! Today leaders from about 170 different countries will officially sign the Paris Agreement. This agreement is a huge step in cleaning up the planet for future generations as it sets the goal is to limit the temperature rise overall by 2 degrees Celsius. It also sets in motion a process for steep emission cuts. On top of that, organizers are hoping to have 7.8 billion trees planted within the next 5 years, eliminate fossil fuels, and make cities 100% renewable.

Here are a 5 simple ways you can be a big help in cleaning up our planet.

• Recycle: The classic go-to for being green. Recycling has never been easier and there are plenty of materials that fall into the recyclable category. Plastic, cardboard, cans, paper, glass, food waste, and e-waste (electronics) are all things that can be recycled and reused. Many of these things can even be bought made with recycled materials

• Go paperless: All kinds of companies are offering paperless options to its customers. Cell phone companies, banks, insurance companies, and gyms all have paperless options, just to name a few. Most people own a computer or smart phone with internet access, by going paperless they can access everything they need on their phones/computers. Benefits of this include the obvious, saving trees, but many people don’t think about the other benefits like eliminating harmful gases and fuel consumption that goes in the cutting and printing processes.

• Plant a tree: This one requires a little more effort than the first two, but is super helpful and in the long run will have an enormous impact on the planet. Trees help us breathe clean air, absorb excess and harmful CO2 from our atmosphere, and help communities with long-term sustainability and provide food, energy, and income. Forest Nation has a great program that makes it easy to help plant trees. Follow the link for more details.

• Go meat or dairy free one day a week: Probably the hardest on the list for most people, but it’s totally doable once a week with some discipline. Producing meat and dairy products requires a huge amount of land, water, grain, and other products like hormones and antibiotics that ultimately pollute the air, water, and soil. Cutting back a small amount would make a big difference over time.

• Fix any dripping faucets: California is already going through a severe drought, so this little fix is real contribution to a big problem were facing. A dripping faucet can waste up to 74 gallons a day, and a leaking toilet up to 200 gallons a day.