Happy Earth Day!
What exactly is Earth day?
Founded in 1970, Earth Day became an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection worldwide. Today, Earth Day is celebrated by billions of people worldwide. Not sure what you can do to help make a positive impact? Here are some small changes you can make that can make a difference:
Reduce plastic use.
Did you know that every minute, two garbage truck loads of plastic are dumped into our oceans? If we continue our plastic use like this, there will be more garbage in the ocean by weight than there are fish in the ocean. You can reduce the amount of plastic you consume by purchasing foods that come in glass or cardboard packaging, avoiding single use plastics like straws or silverware, and storing leftovers or other foods in reusable containers instead of plastic baggies.
There are several ways we can contribute to cleaning up the plastic and trash in our environment. One of them is to participate in the Great Global Cleanup. Several locations within the DC area are participating in removing trash from local neighborhoods, rivers and parks. It also would not hurt to educate your own students about the impact of pollution and plastic on our ecosystem.
The air we breathe, the water we drink, and our habitat matters. There are inexpensive and simple ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint at home. Only use heating and air conditioning as needed, and changing the degree by one degree can actually save a significant amount of energy! Shut the windows, unplug electronics and appliances when they are not being used to reduce energy usage. Invest in reusable bags and use them when you go shopping instead of using single use plastic bags!
If you are interested in finding out what more you can do as an individual to make a big difference for Earth, the Sustainable GW initiative offers information for students and for faculty and staff for introducing more sustainable and earth friendly habits in our life. They also feature different ways that you can become involved.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to understand what we can do to make an environmental difference in our lives!
