EARTH DAY 2022

Make "Earth Day" Every Day

Make "Earth Day" every day by helping our Mother Earth. Reduce, reuse, and recycle at home, school, and work.

By 1970, where many of my peers and I had front row seats, environmental change was gaining center stage. For decades Americans were not aware of the effects of leaded gas, inefficient automobiles, and air pollution. Remember, this was before the Internet and people smoked cigarettes to look “cool”. The environment was becoming more polluted and beginning to have a negative impact on human health.

The culmination of growth and prosperity in the U.S. by the 1950s was creating alarming air quality issues. The 1948 Donora Smog killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for almost half of the population in the mill town of Donora, Pennsylvania. Hundreds of New Yorkers died in a smog episode in November of 1953. In the following year, heavy smog in Los Angeles shut down industry and schools for most of October.

All this led to the founding of Earth Day in 1970 and the beginning of the environmental movement. By the end of 1970, there was the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. Two years later Congress passed the Clean Water Act. A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and soon after the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Oh, and the banning of cigarette ads on television became effective December 31, 1970.

Ways to Help Mother Earth

Today we realize the importance of making Earth Day every day. Reduce, reuse, and recycle is practiced at home, school, and work. No action is too small if it results in a healthier planet. Here are a few ideas to help our Mother Earth.

Reusable Bags

How much do you hate those plastic bags from the store that break and hold so very little! Using reusable bags in your daily life will have a significant impact on fossil fuel consumption. Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year which requires 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. It takes about 14 plastic bags for the equivalent of the gas required to drive one mile.

The reusable bag effort is becoming popular. To promote the use reusable bags, some stores provide a bag credit at check-out. In certain areas of the country, there is now a plastic bag tax that goes to support environmental cleanup and other environmental programs. Reusable bags are an easy environmental trend to support.

Reduce Your Foodprint

Did you know that your diet can contribute to climate change? Soil tillage, crop and livestock transportation, manure management and all the other aspects of global food production generate greenhouse gas emissions to the tune of more than 17 billion metric tons per year. Animal-based foods account for 57 percent of those emissions, and plant-based ones make up 29 percent.

So, what can be done to reduce your foodprint? Here are some tips: Buy Locally and in Season, Eat More Plant-based Foods, Reduce Packaging, and Decrease Garbage. Take the Foodprint quiz to find out how you can improve your foodprint.

Plant a Pollinator Garden

Providing for the pollinator critters is vital to human existence. Without pollinators, the human race and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals.

Native plants are the best way to attract pollinators near you. Use the Native Plant Finder to identify plants that benefit wildlife where you live. Whether it’s a few potted herbs on a patio or a field of sunflowers, everybody can help the pollinators that do so much to help us.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

Practicing the 3 R’s everyday will help the environment by saving money, energy, and natural resources. And it is so easy to do. There is 100+ ways to recycle. For example, H&M will provide a 15% off your next purchase coupon for in-store donations of textiles that can be reworn, reused, or recycled. Staples will accept and recycle outdated electronics and provide a credit for recycled ink cartridges. Organizations such as the Goodwill are located in most communities. Habitat for Humanity will pick-up larger donations such as furniture and building materials.

It is also possible to purchase environmentally friendly new stuff. Amazon.com offers an easy way to purchase climate friendly products for home and work. And it is easy to purchase “new-to-you” stuff online at Thredup, Poshmark, and Ebay.

Make “Earth Day” Every Day

We’ve come a long way since 1970 but there is still so much work to do. “Earth Day” must be every day for our planet, and us, to survive. The “Earth Day” theme this year is “Invest In Our Planet”. It is time for governments, businesses, and individuals to come together for the benefit of the world we share.