This year, Earth Day falls on a Tuesday, but you don’t have to limit yourself to that one day to help improve the environment. Any day is a good day to reduce our carbon footprint, conserve resources, and help protect our world. Here are some easy ways you can make Earth Day, every day.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American produces about 4.9 pounds of waste per day. A huge portion of this comes from single-use plastic items, packaging, and non-recyclable goods. The best way to combat this is by reducing, reusing, and recycling.
You can reduce your consumption by buying fewer items and opting for higher-quality products that last longer and lower the demand for resource extraction. Reusing items reduces the need to produce new ones. For example, instead of single use plastic or paper bags, carry cloth bags for the grocery store. This will save around 100 bags per year.
Recycling, of course, reuses those that have already been produced. In the US, about 75% of waste is recyclable, but only about 30% gets recycled. Properly sorting your recyclables – paper, glass, and aluminum – can reduce the need for new resources and reduce landfill waste. Recycling just one aluminum can save enough energy to run your TV for up to three hours!
Clean Moves
In the US, transportation is responsible for up to 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Gas powered cars produce 0.9 pounds of CO2 per mile. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), public transport saves about 37 million metric tons of CO2 in the US annually. If everyone in the country switched to public transit one day a week, it would be equivalent to taking 7.6 million cars off the road.
Carpooling also reduces the carbon footprint of each passenger. A 4-person carpool can reduce CO2 emissions by about 60% per passenger compared to driving alone. If 10% of commuters in the US carpooled, it would save nearly 1 billion gallons of gasoline annually.
Watch the Water
Saving water is probably easier than you think. For example, take shorter showers. A typical showerhead uses about 2.5 gallons of water per minute so by shortening your shower by just 5 minutes, you can save up to 4,562.5 gallons of water.
Fixing even a small leak can save up to 3,000 gallons of water per year. Low-flow toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush, compared to the 3.5 to 7 gallons of older models. Switching them out can save up to 13,000 gallons of water per year for a family of four.
Power Down
LED bulbs use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last 25 times longer. Replacing just one bulb with an LED saves around 25-30 kWh per year, which is a savings of approximately $3-$5 annually on your electric bill per bulb.
Reduce your overall energy use by unplugging electronics when not in use. Even when turned off they continue to draw power, accounting for an estimated 10% of total household electricity use. By unplugging you can save up to $100 per year in energy costs.
Gardening and Composting
Growing your own food, even in a small urban garden, helps reduce your carbon footprint by cutting down on the need for mass-produced, transported food. Homegrown tomatoes emit about 0.18 kg of CO2 per pound, compared to the 1.8 kg of CO2 per pound of store-bought tomatoes. The food scraps you throw in the trash at the end of your meal end up contributing to landfill waste. By composting this waste along with your yard trimmings, you can reduce landfill contents by an estimated 22 percent.
Get Involved
Becoming involved in local environmental initiatives like clean-ups, or habitat restoration projects is a great way to make an immediate impact. If you want a long-lasting impact, volunteer for activities like a local tree planting project. Considering a single tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of CO2 per year and can live for hundreds of years, this is a great way to get involved and do your part to make every day, Earth Day.