Earth day is a time to reflect on the health of the planet and the ways to give back. This year the world celebrated Earth day on April 22. There are many ways people celebrate Earth day, whether that be picking up trash around town or planting flowers for the bees to pollinate.
Many do not know the true importance of Earth Day. It dates back to 1970 when over twenty million people protested in the streets against environmental degradation. This happened in response to the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, along with other problems such as pollution. That protest remains the largest, single day, protest to date. Earth Day is significant to many individuals around the world, as they take time to recognize how their personal lives make an impact on the planet that we all call home.
There are many actions that can be taken to conserve in everyday life, such as turning the water off when brushing your teeth, turning the lights off in a room you are not in and turning off the T.V. when you are not watching it.
Simply being aware of the things that go on in everyone’s lives can create helpful impacts on the Earth today. It is important to be as green as can be, such as using reusable water bottles. As much as sixty million water bottles get thrown away just in the United States per day. These water bottles will go on to pollute America’s rivers and highways, but with a simple reusable water bottle, you can do your part to lessen the litter.
“Get involved. Learn the facts, learn the science,” Department Head and Assistant Professor of Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystem Sciences, T. Wayne Schwertner said.
Schwertner offered many new perspectives on how to conserve such as shopping local, eating less meat and watching your carbon footprint. Earth Day has a lot more meaning than is just what is seen on the surface. It involves taking action each and every day and thinking about each choice you make. Whether that be having a recycling bin inside the house or using reusable plastic containers instead of plastic bags to store your food.
“Eat local, eat close to home. Buy from a local farmer, a local rancher or [even a] farmer’s market,” Schwertner said.
When shopping local, a truck is not needed to bring these items into town, which means gas is not often used and exhaust from the truck is not being put into the air. Also, plastic is not needed to pack the produce, and pesticides are not often used. This not only helps you eat greener and healthier, it stimulates the local economy as well. Going to your local farmer’s market to get the produce you need can help the environment in more ways than you think, with just a simple change of habit.
“I love when people put their creative brain power to work,” Schwertner said.
It can be considered admirable that so many people across the world come together on Earth Day to do their part to create an environment that is enjoyable for everyone. Everyone can come up with their own ideas and ways people can shrink their footprint, the art that is created from it, the activities people do and the initiative everyone takes to simply do their part.
Some tips to help conserve every day include reduce, reuse and recycle. Ways to do this include reducing the amount of water you use and reduce your trash output by recycling things that can be recycled. You can also reuse water bottles or use reusable containers and plates when you can. Do your part to get a recycling bin in your household and recycle all things that fall under the recyclable category such as plastic, cans and milk jugs.
Simply thinking about what you are doing throughout your daily life can help reduce your personal footprint you leave each day.
Overtime, if everyone practices the simple reduce, reuse and recycle habits, the Earth could be a much cleaner and more enjoyable place to live. By watching what you do and where your trash goes, you can potentially save many animals’ lives as they often mistake trash and debris for food, leading to decreasing populations of species.
By taking action each and every day, you will be able to do your part in saving the planet, as well as making it one we can all enjoy for many years to come.
To learn more about how to reduce, reuse and recycle in your every day life you can go to:
https://www.epa.gov/recycle
To get involved with Earth day events or learn more about Earth day you can go to:

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