Earth Day Every Day: Actions to Take

Earth Day Roots

Ozone Recovery and Captain Planet

Many of us can remember hearing about how the ozone layer, a critical shield against the sun’s ultraviolet rays, was thinning and of the major hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. 

These discoveries resulted in the adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, banning the production and consumption of chemicals that eat away at the planet’s ozone layer.

Earlier this year, a scientific assessment - an updated assessment is published every four years - announced that the ozone layer is on track to recovery and that the hole would completely close within the next four decades. This is considered one of the most critical environmental achievements to date.

I’m not exactly the most STEM-oriented person, but this is so freaking interesting to me. 

For the life of me, in an era of reboots and remakes, I cannot understand how Captain Planet has not reemerged…not counting Don Cheadle is Captain Planet. Captain Planet has, however, lived on through the Captain Planet Foundation.

April 22nd is Earth Day, which marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement in 1970. While it started in the US, it became a global movement by 1990. It is one day highlighting the actions we can take to, essentially, keep our planet healthy. 

There’s only one Earth. 

Going Green

“Going green” can mean a lot of things. 

I think when people think about “going green” or being eco-friendly, they think in extremes. We’re not all going to be 100% green or perfect environmentally friendly-living examples. That’s just not a realistic goal. But I also think there is a misconception that it is an “all or nothing” lifestyle, or that their actions won’t matter in the big picture.

I’m a firm believer in the ripple effect. Our actions have an impact. Multiple small actions cause big effects. While there is a definite need for corporations to take accountability for their actions towards climate change, we can all make choices that are environmentally-friendly. We might already be doing some of these and not even realize it. Some of them are actually cheaper and more efficient. Others just need to become a habit, like turning off the lights or TV when not in use. Little actions add up! 

Earthly Actions

These actions can include:

• Reducing single-use plastic consumption: Use a reusable water bottle. Unfortunately, the majority of single-use water bottles don’t end up recycled. I’ve also seen coffee shops offer discounts or rewards for bringing your own mug.

  One thing I notice is that when I order takeout or Uber Eats, how often, despite saying I don’t need plasticware, I still receive plasticware. Seems minor, but how much waste comes from it? 

  Shopping bags are also a common culprit of single-use plastic waste. Some grocery stores offer discounts or benefits when you choose to use a reusable shopping bag. And, honestly, the reusable bags are better, between size and durability (A lot less likely for a reusable bag to break!). The biggest issue with reusable shopping bags? Remembering to bring them. I use them, I put them aside, and I don’t remember to take them back to the car, resulting in me grocery shopping and realizing…”Dammit!” 

  Some stores other than grocery stores have started asking if you want a bag on any purchase or place signs at checkout that reusable bags are encouraged. Which, that’s fine, but these companies should probably post this at the entrance, because at checkout it is slightly annoying to have five books and learning at the register that they’re not using bags anymore.  Another easy change to make is having your receipt emailed to you, rather than receiving a physical copy. This is something I love, because it is easier for me to organize receipts in my email or on the cloud whereas a physical receipt is likely to end up lost in my bag or car. Although, I do find it odd that some places will offer physical copy OR physical and digital copy, but not just digital copy. That seems to be slightly missing the mark. 

• This won’t be a popular one but - eat less meat. “Meatless Monday” was a social media thing for a while. I’m certainly not telling anyone to go vegetarian or vegan because I know I wouldn’t be able to. Meat and animal-based products do, however, have high CO2 emissions, so a little less meat could definitely add up in the long run. Despite my struggle during Lent to think of meatless meals on Fridays, picking a “meatless” day can also help answer the neverending question by narrowing the options - “What’s for dinner?” Or, even if not a weekly thing, an opportunity to try different meals. Most of us can probably use more fruits and veggies, anyways (I know I can. No denials there! Yay for grilling veggie season!)

• Use energy efficient products: LED light bulbs are one of the most commonly used energy efficient products. Not only can it last up to 25 times more than an ordinary incandescent bulb while using 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light. And ultimately, that means lower electric bills! With energy efficient washers and dishwashers, you’re using less water too. Your windows can be energy efficient when they are made with materials that help reduce heat exchange and air leaks.

  Cost savings is a common benefit of energy efficient products, although some of those savings, like with solar panels or or electric vehicles, aren’t immediately apparent, and there are upfront costs. However, something like solar panels can also mean the opportunity to take advantage of tax breaks, possibly raise your home’s values, and can eventually pay for themselves and possibly some more. And while you’re doing all of that, you’re also not emitting any carbon emissions or greenhouse gasses. Search “solar” on Amazon - you’ll not only find products such as outdoor lights, but also power banks and bird baths.

Psst! Look for devices featuring the ENERGY STAR logo. That means that product is designed to use 20% less energy than its standard counterpart.

• Be Thrifty: Right now, thrift stores are having A Moment, and that’s good for living sustainably. When you’re thrifting, less resources overall are being used because there isn’t a direct need to create something new. Donating items like clothes extends their lives outside of a garbage heap. Social media has also helped usher in reselling, or even the “Buy Nothing” community groups!

  You can also reuse items, like t-shirts cut up to be used as rags. Sometimes when I’m trying to actually follow a curly-hair method to get my curls pretty overnight, I use the “plopping” method (that’s an entirely different story), and I’ve set aside old t-shirts to set my hair for overnight drying (Tip: Cotton t-shirts are good for reducing frizz!). When I graduated college, I had a lot of t-shirts from university and sorority events. Instead of getting rid of them all, I had a friend make them into a t-shirt quilt, which I still have nine years later! I’ve thought about doing something similar with some of my fire shirts.

  Also, taking your clothes to a thrift store or donation center is just a good thing to do. I have a bunch of business fashion items to get rid of from dresses to shoes to bags, and I found a local organization that supplies women with professional clothes and accessories when they are seeking employment; Dress for Success Pittsburgh if you’re interested.

• Know Sustainable Companies: Companies like IKEA, Stella McCartney, and Patagonia are known for the sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices. Patagonia has many products which are produced with 100% recyclable products, has pledged 1% of sales to environmental preservation and restoration since 1985, and hopes to be completely carbon neutral by 2025. Some companies, such as Stella McCartney, use organic cotton and sustainable fabrics made from materials such as plastic bottles. I haven’t been shy about my love for Vera Bradley, and they also use sustainable materials such as recycled cotton or their “Reactive” line which is made from recycled plastic bottles. I have a sling backpack that is made of Reactive materials, and it boasts to use 10 recycled bottles to make one bag.  Popular book bag company Jansport is dedicated to its sustainability path; more than 80% of their offerings are made with 100% recycled fabrics and also uses plastic bottles for materials, and has reduced their water consumption by one million gallons. Skincare company DERMA E is another brand dedicated to the environment by “considering people, the planet, and their purpose in everything they do.”

It can be difficult to identify companies that are truly making environmentally-friendly, sustainable choices, i.e who is actually walking the walk. I came across this blog post from “Pretty Green Lily” on what you can do to ID if a brand is sustainable.

Many people will spend Earth Day planting trees and picking up litter. That’s great! But Earth Day is about a movement - a movement that lives 365 days a year. Educating ourselves and making conscious choices in our everyday lives is what will continue to help protect the environment. And most of these have benefits beyond the environment; there’s opportunities for wins all around. Hell, who isn’t going to benefit from breathing cleaner air? 

There’s no planet B. Astronomer Carl Sagan’s “A Pale Blue Dot” speech talks of the unknown explorations beyond Earth but also the uniqueness and significance of Earth:

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.