Today is Earth Day, our planet’s very own holiday, where we tend to focus all on Mother Earth, and all of the things we can do to make her a better place to inhabit. Perhaps this year we collectively take a more critical look after a year of Covid, and four years of climate change being ignored, and put on the back burner.
This year’s theme is, “Restore the Earth” and is meant to be optimistic, to bring a sense of light and positivity to what can be, rather that focus on what we have neglected, according to EarthDay.org
The only problem with Earth Day is that it is only celebrated once/year. Sure, there are plenty of environmental groups which raise awareness for various climate-conscious movements, but there is not another day, nor several days where there is a global effort of togetherness, a joint effort to make this planet a better place. It takes a village with most efforts, even when it comes to saving our planet- A LOT of villages, actually.
So, what can you do to make Earth day, every day? Well, you can start small. Take baby steps, make small changes, and if you want to make larger efforts, wonderful! Just know that even the small changes go a long way. Consistency is key, and even if you commit to a small scale change, it makes a big difference.
Here are some ways you can make an impact:
- Start a garden. You can do this by even making a little container garden with just a few of your favorite veggies. You can start a 5 gallon bucket of tomato plants, and maybe a pot of cucumber seeds, and maybe some of your favorite herbs. We have shared the top 10 reasons you should start a garden here, which goes into greater detail.
- Go meatless. You can even start slow by having “Meatless Mondays”, then add one more day/week, then two more, etc. There are a ton of great vegan and vegetarian Instagram chefs making yummy meatless meals that can make your experience really fun! You can read more about our experience, here. Meat production is responsible for almost 20% of global CO2 emissions. 5214 gallons of water are required to produce a single pound of beef. You can also read more about studies that show why Covid should make us reevaluate our relationship with meat.
- Dedicate to a no-buy weekend/month. Sure, we are in the middle of a no-buy year, but if you can commit to one weekend/month, you are single handedly contributing to reducing the largest effect on greenhouse gas emissions that are contributed by consumerism. You can read more about our no-buy year, here, and we also talk about the money we saved on our no-buy weekend.
- Stop using plastic! We still cannot believe that we have to say this. We live in 2021, and for some reason, plastic still exists, but mainly, it is because people still use it. Refuse that shit! As soon as you refuse it, it will stop being made. Use your own cloth grocery bags. Use your own stainless steel water vessels. Bring your own containers to put items into, and refuse, refuse, refuse, plastic! More about that, here.
- Shop local. Be smart about where your items come from. This may seem like a cool marketing tagline, but it is so important. When you shop local, you are not only supporting your local community, people you know, the city/town you pay taxes to support, but you are also reducing the amount of gas and emissions that your item travels to get to you. Wouldn’t you rather know that your dollars are supporting a local shopkeeper or business owner, rather than someone who runs a warehouse of thousands of people, thousands of miles away, who may or may not pay their employees well? Maybe they do, so do your research, Know where your money is going. When you shop locally, this is an easier task.
There are plenty of other ways that you can keep Earth day going every day, but these are small steps, and we hope that maybe you can adopt one to implement, if even for a month, and maybe switch it up. Maybe one can become a habit, and then you can add another one.
How are we celebrating Earth day? We will be participating in an ocean clean-up, and of course, spending it in our garden. Let us know how you will be celebrating!