3 Things You Can Do To Honor Mother Earth Today
Can I keep it real with you? In the hustle and bustle of everyday life most of us find it difficult to stop and think about saving the planet. Most of us are trying to figure out how to save money, our jobs and sometimes even our relationships. In honor of Earth day I thought I would make it easy for everyone to have an opportunity to make a positive difference and actually look out for mother earth today and moving forward. Trust me while these are simple things future generations will thank us later. Here are 3 things you can do to celebrate Earth Day compliments of Earth.org
- Buy Produce From Your Local Farmer’s Market
Besides supporting small local businesses, you’ll also be helping the planet by buying your produce local. Shipping food to grocery stores uses immense amounts of energy in terms of production and transportation, and buying locally reduces the carbon emissions associated with this.
- Forego Cars
Find transportation alternatives that will help reduce your carbon footprint but still get you where you need to go. Emissions from the transport sector are a major contributor to climate change- about 14% of annual emissions (including non-CO2 gases) and around a quarter of CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels. Ride your bike, take a walk or even use public transport to reduce the number of cars on the road. As a result of COVID-19, many cities around the world are making it easier to commute with bikes, like creating bike paths.
- Plant Something
“Urban heat islands” occur when cities replace natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat. This effect increases energy costs (e.g., for air conditioning), air pollution levels, and heat-related illness and deaths. To counter this, we need to incorporate green infrastructure improvements into city planning, by planting trees and other vegetation. You can go small- by planting a tree in your back yard- or bigger, by joining a community initiative that plants trees in urban areas (COVID-19-permitting, of course).
Shout out to Boise High for their efforts on the 51st anniversary of Earth Day. Check out the cool video they produced, it's full of ideas to celebrate Earth day.