April 22nd will be the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, a world-wide celebration of the environment. It's a perfect time to reflect about what you can do (or are already doing) to protect our planet. I've put together some ideas below that you can implement to make it a great Earth Day:
1.
Plant trees. Trees help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cleans pollution, and secures soil to prevent erosion. Did I also mention that they provide lovely summer shade and are fun to climb?
2.
Learn more about the environment. The best place to do this, of course, is at the library. Currently we have a great display of books and DVDs available to help you live a greener life.
3.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle all day long. Buy as little as possible and avoid items that come in an access amount of packaging. Buy a water bottle container instead of using plastic water bottles and don't use disposable plates or cutlery. Oh, and those cloth grocery bags? Use them!
4.
Get children to recycle their old toys and games. This is a great way to get kids involved. For one thing they will learn the importance of recycling and reusing instead of throwing stuff away, and they will also learn the generous feeling of giving to others. You can even do this with some of you own items, such as clothes, electronics, books, etc.
5.
Pick up litter. Back in college, my sorority adopted a patch of highway that we cleaned up a few times a year. I'm not suggesting you go out to I-55 and comb the median for garbage, but would it hurt to pick up litter in a neighborhood park? Try it-- you'll feel really good about it.
6.
Cook a special Earth Day meal. My advice for this? Choose locally grown food! Favor veggies and bean products, as these use less resources that meat. However, if you still need meat, try to find locally produced or organic meat.
7.
Ride your bike. If possible, use your bike to commute to work, school, or run errands. I live 30 minutes from the job, so riding my bike to the library is out of the question, but you'd better believe it that I'm riding to my local CVS and ice cream shop a mile away from my house.
8.
Remember: Every day is Earth Day! Just don't make this a once a year deal! It's never too late to save the planet by recycling, reducing emissions, and not buying so much. Make a difference today and tomorrow.
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