Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon,
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned,
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains,
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
-Pocahontas
Today is Earth Day, and although I completely agree we should have a day to recognize this beautiful planet, I also believe we should work towards building enough environmental awareness that every day becomes Earth Day. In spirit of that, I’m going to give you a few practical and sustainable ideas, so you can do your part.
The term eco-conscious is interchangeable with eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, nature-friendly, and green. I like the definition provided by Merriam-Webster dictionary because it’s short and to the point: “marked by or showing concern for the environment.” Being eco-conscious does not mean you have to go handcuff yourself to a tree in an attempt to stop 3 bulldozers, although if that’s your thing, then ALL THE POWER TO YOU. However, for those of us who don’t want to stand in freezing cold water while being shot at by cops with rubber bullets, there are plenty of ways to reduce your footprint, and actually make a positive difference.
Some, if not most, of this is going to be things you’ve heard before. So take this as your final push to start actively making changes. You don’t have to alter your entire lifestyle, but do be more conscious and mindful of things you’ve let become a habit, like your 45 minute showers for example. If every single person made even one life-long change to be more eco-conscious, we could make magic happen, and save the planet while we’re at it.
Alright, let’s get to it. I’m going to start with some entirely practical ideas for you to make a change, and follow it with some ideas for you to go one step further if you feel so inclined. If you read through, and have any more ideas or ways to reduce your footprint, then leave a comment and let me know!
Reduce & Reuse
My home state of Massachusetts did something pretty cool this year. We banned plastic bags in 65 towns and cities throughout the state. I’ve noticed this most prominently in the grocery stores. At Big Y, you have two options: bring reusable bags, or pay 10 cents per paper bag. This leads me into my first recommendation: purchase reusable shopping bags for the grocery store, and even for the rest of your shopping. Mine are from Wegmans, and one of them I got for free freshman year of college, so see what you can do – these kinds of bags are everywhere. And they’re durable.
Another big one is getting a reusable non-plastic water bottle! The facts and statistics on the use of plastic water bottles are pretty startling. In the U.S. alone, we use about 50 million plastic water bottles a year, and only about 1/4 of them end up being recycled. It takes a plastic bottle about 450+ years to decompose and break down. Which leads me to the chemicals in the plastic that holds your drinking water. Ever wonder why there’s an expiration date on your water bottle? Water doesn’t expire, as we know, but the plastic water bottles do. And when they do, there’s an increased risk of the chemicals seeping into your water and making it into your blood stream. So even if you’re refilling the same plastic water bottle over and over, you’re still doing yourself harm. One of the more known chemicals in plastic bottles is BPA, which is an endocrine disruptor and mimics our natural hormones.
On a similar note, is buying a reusable non-plastic coffee mug. You can make coffee at home, or you can bring these to your local coffee shops/cafe’s and they will put whatever drink you order in your personal cup. Some even take a couple cents off. This will reduce the amount of disposable coffee cups, that most people end up putting in the trash.
My favorite brand for reusable water bottles and tumblers/coffee mugs is Healthy Human Life. They are stainless steel and BPA free, and they keep your beverage hot for 12 hours, warm for the following 12 and/or cold for 24 hours. That’s pretty neat. I have 4 of their steins, and 2 of their tumblers.
Other ways to reduce and reuse:
- Minimize or discontinue your use of the plastic produce bags at the grocery store
- Purchase glass tupperware containers instead of using plastic ones, or plastic baggies
- Buy in bulk to reduce packaging
Recycling & Composting
I won’t go into much depth here because this is pretty well known. However, I do recommend looking more into composting. It’s amazing if you have a garden, as it’s the single best supplement or fertilizer for the soil, providing rich nutrients. Composting can also help to divert around 30% of kitchen waste from your trash can, which otherwise ends up in landfills and cannot decompose properly due to a lack of oxygen. There’s a whole guide on composting I found here, check it out!
Otherwise, just be more mindful when you throw things away. If you’re in public, a lot of places have a separate bin for trash and recycling, some even have a compost bin. Have two bins in your house or kitchen to make it easier to separate your recycling. Every bit makes a difference!
Food Waste
Food waste is a massive problem in the U.S. and can so easily be changed.
“Each year, more than 66 trillion gallons of water go toward producing food that’s lost or wasted;
About 45% of all fruits, vegetables, roots, and tubers are wasted… That’s the equivalent of 3.7 trillion apples and 1 billion bags of potatoes;
More than 5.4 million square miles of land—an expanse greater than the US, India, and Mexico combined—are used to produce food that’s wasted. This impacts the natural habitat of many wild animals, the fresh water we share with them, and the global climate,” (2).
You get the point.
We have a tendency to buy and make much more food than we need. Only buy what you are going to eat, and only make what you’re hungry for. It might be easier if you did smaller and more frequent grocery shops to pay attention to how much you’re buying – that’s been a tactic I’ve employed. If this isn’t practical and you need to do bigger, more spaced out grocery trips, then utilize your freezer so the food doesn’t go bad and can last longer! If you do have leftovers, either save them and eat them the next day, or compost them.
Meal prepping and meal planning also help with this!
Littering
It baffles me that this is even still a thing. Seriously? Are we, as a collective, that lazy that we can’t walk to a trash can? Why is it that we throw our trash out the window of our car, instead of leaving it in the cup holder or passenger
seat until we get where we’re going? Put a trash bag in your car if you’re a culprit of this – then you only have to make the effort when the bag is full.
If you’re out in nature or really anywhere, and see trash on the ground, pick it up and throw it away. If it’s nasty and sopping wet, I’ll give you a pass, but otherwise just pick up the water bottle or fast food bag and toss it in the nearest trash can.
Farmers Markets & Local Produce
Supporting your local community is something I am a strong advocate of. This not only helps improve the life of the farmers and food producers in your area, but it helps to reduce outsourcing of food, which takes an incredible amount of fuel and oil to get here. Plus, wouldn’t you rather be supporting your average joe from town who’s an honest worker, instead of Nestle who has managed to destroy the state of California.
Water Usage
- Don’t take 45 minute showers, and don’t take 3 showers a day – it’s unnecessary
- Take 15 minute showers once a day and you’ll be as squeaky clean as you need to be
- Turn the water off when brushing your teeth and washing your face
- Use a lower water pressure when washing dishes, you don’t need it on full blast
- Don’t be like my neighbors and water your lawn when it’s raining, or the same day as it rained
Again, you get the point.
Transportation
American cars are straight up gas guzzlers. These babies are brutal. You ever wonder how much gas those Ford F-450’s with the jacked up wheels eat up? Yeah, me too. The answer is too much, and if you don’t need an unnecessarily large car for your job, then why do you have to spew extra emissions into the environment? I’m not telling you to sell your car, just keep it in mind when you get a new one – and hopefully a smaller one.
Until then, carpool to work or class, take public transportation if it doesn’t totally gross you out, or get a 2-for-1 and exercise on your way to where your going by walking, biking, skateboarding, running, etc.
Sunscreen & Our Oceans
I’m going to bet most of you don’t know this one. In the spirit of honesty, I saw it in a Facebook video and then did some research on it. According to the Hawaii Ocean Project, there are five common ingredients in sunscreens that are aiding in the destruction of our oceans, with all the excess amounts that wash off our skin causing coral bleaching and ocean acidification. Coral bleaching is where coral loses its color and rejects symbiotic organisms, essentially killing the coral. These are the five ingredients to avoid when buying sunscreen:
- Oxybenzone
- Octinoxate
- Octocrylene
- 4-mehtylbenzylidene: banned in the U.S.
- Butyparaben
So be more mindful when buying sunscreen and avoid the above ingredients for both your own health, and the health of our beautiful oceans.
One step further
Here are some bigger and bolder steps you can take towards saving our environment and respecting the planet:
- Solar panels
- Hybrid cars
- Join environment groups
- Go vegan
- Plant trees
- Buy recycled products
I think that about covers the big stuff, but I want to leave you with one last thought. Think about how you feel when you’re outside immersed in nature; how freeing and peaceful it is. Think about the times when your breath was completely taken away by a view or a sunset. The more we protect our planet, the more we will get to enjoy these views, as well as all the generations to follow. Respect Mother Earth, and she will respect us back.
“You can own the Earth and still
All you’ll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind”
-Pocahontas
Sources:
(1) “Composting.” Eartheasy, Link.
(2) “Food Waste.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, Link.
(3) “The Harmful Effects of Sunscreen on Our Oceans.” Hawaii Ocean Project, 7 Oct. 2017, Link.
(4) Cover Photo: Link.
