Earth Day is today! Above you can watch a brief video about the history and importance of Earth Day, while below you can read some helpful tips that will help you to live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle:
22 Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth
Adapted from the Columbia Climate School:
1. Eat mostly fruits, veggies, grains, and beans. Meat and dairy is responsible for 14.5 percent of manmade global greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Choose organic and local foods that are in season. Transporting food from far away, whether by truck, ship, rail or plane, uses more fossil fuels.
3. Buy food in bulk when possible using your own reusable container.
4. Recycle. Click here to see a list of what you can recycle in NYC.
5. Compost your food waste. If you live in New York City, you can find a compost drop-off site here.
6. Don’t buy fast fashion. Instead, buy quality clothing that will last. Even better, buy vintage or recycled clothing at consignment shops.
7. Wash your clothing in cold water. Doing two loads of laundry weekly in cold water instead of hot or warm water can save up to 500 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
8. Buy less stuff! Buy used or recycled items whenever possible and avoid buying items with a lot of packaging.
9. Bring your own reusable bag when you shop.
10. Buy a laptop instead of a desktop. Laptops require less energy to charge and operate than desktops.
11. If shopping for appliances, lighting, office equipment or electronics, look for Energy Star products, which are certified to be more energy efficient.
12. Support and buy from companies that are environmentally responsible and sustainable.
13. Do an energy audit of your home. This will show how you use or waste energy and help identify ways to be more energy efficient.
14. Buy LED lights. Though LEDs cost more, they use a quarter of the energy and last up to 25 times longer.
15. Turn lights off when you leave the room and unplug your electronic devices when they are not in use.
16. Turn your water heater down to 120˚F. This can save about 550 pounds of CO2 a year.
17. Take shorter showers and install a low-flow showerhead.
18. Use less air conditioning in the summer; instead opt for fans, which require less electricity.
19. Sign up to get your electricity from clean energy through your local utility or a certified renewable energy provider.
20. Drive less. Walk, take public transportation, carpool, rideshare or bike to your destination when possible.
21. Avoid flying if possible; on shorter trips, driving may produce fewer greenhouse gases.
22. Vote! Become politically active and let your representatives know you want them to take action about global warming and the environment.