April 22 Is 'Earth Day’! Here’s How You Can Help Save The Planet!
This annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events, worldwide, are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year. "The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes from Harvard as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. April 22, falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, was selected as the date.”
Let's plant some trees, this ‘Arbor Day’!!!
Arbor Day is a day when people around the world are encouraged to plant trees. As we learned in third grade biology, trees are essential to life. They create the very air we breathe and filter air pollution. What you may not know is that trees also build soil and help soak up stormwater before it can create a flood, and they offer energy-saving shade that reduces global warming and creates habitat for thousands of different species. Trees also help to reduce ozone levels in urban areas. Most importantly, trees sequester carbon, helping to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air, which cools the earth. In fact, a mature canopy tree absorbs enough carbon and releases enough oxygen to sustain two human beings!
The first American Arbor Day was originated in Nebraska City, NE, by J. Stearling Morton. On April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska!!!
Birdsey Northrop of Connecticut was responsible for globalizing the idea when he visited Japan in 1883 and delivered his Arbor Day and Village Improvement message. In that same year, the American Forestry Association made Northrop the Chairman of the committee to campaign for Arbor Day nationwide. He also brought his enthusiasm for Arbor Day to,, and Europe.
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WAYS WE CAN HELP THE PLANET EVERYDAY!
-Make your home, energy efficient
*There are many things you can do to help your house become more energy efficient. From installing weatherstripping and window coverings to help maintain the internal temperature to upgrading to energy-efficient appliances, there are large and small ways to save energy. Even just using a programmable thermostat can decrease the times your HVAC system is unnecessarily running. Not only does an energy-efficient home help the environment, it lowers your monthly utility bills.
-Conserve water
*This may seem obvious, but there are still many people who unconsciously waste gallons of water every day. It can be lots of small daily things that add up over time: running the water while brushing your teeth, over-watering your lawn or not fixing a leaky faucet. Making the effort to conserve water greatly helps the environment and also keeps your monthly water bill low.
-Drive less
*Fossil fuels greatly impact the environment and contribute to pollution and global warming. You can help the environment by driving less, and using more eco-friendly modes of transportation instead. Riding a bike or walking are excellent choices, and provide the extra bonus of helping you stay in shape. You can also choose public transportation. If your lifestyle requires lots of driving time, consider investing in a hybrid or electric car.
-Buy local
*The current food production system places an enormous strain on the environment. Shipping food all over the world requires immense quantities of fuel, not to mention the additional pollution and carbon emissions. You can help combat this by choosing locally-grown food as much as possible. Farmer’s markets, CSAs and co-ops are all great resources for local food. The more people support local, small farmers, the more incentive there is for the inefficient and unnatural food production system to improve.
-Choose eco-friendly producers
*Consider how much power you have as a consumer. Deliberately choosing environmentally-friendly products and companies sends a message about your priorities. The more people choose to reward environmentally responsible companies with business and revenue, the more other companies will be encouraged to make eco-friendly choices. Supporting responsible companies also regulates supply and demand to make eco-friendly products more affordable.
-Recycle
*Any time you can reuse or recycle an item instead of throwing it away it’s a small victory for the environment. Recycling is easier than ever with drop-off centers in most towns or the option to have your recycling picked up with your weekly trash service. There are countless ideas on the internet for ways to repurpose or reuse things. When you are ready to throw something in the trash, take a second first to think about if it can be recycled or reused. You may be surprised at how much you can reduce your household’s waste simply by taking a minute to consider other options.
-Ways to improve your recycling:
https://www....ecycling.html
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GET THE KIDS INVOLVED NOW!
*It’s never too early to start the children of the world, thinking the right way about our Planet. The Earth is continuously becoming more used, wasted, polluted, and dangerous in so many ways, and the more we teach our younger generations about ways they can help, the better! Make the earning process fun as well as educational so the little ones will know how important it is to help and they’ll feel so proud that they’re doing something to help out!
1- Search for “energy vampires” and zap them!
*Energy vampires are home appliances that still use significant electricity when they’re in standby or charging mode. Video games, cell phone chargers, microwaves, and additional plugged in devices, that aren’t being used, are chief culprits.
One of the most direct ways to stop these vampires from sucking energy is to buy a smart power strip and plug items that are often on standby into them. But if you want to go to that expense, you could also ask your children if they want to help zap the energy vampires.
2- Find an alternative to bottled water at the next sports or school gathering.
*While bottled water is marketed as healthy, it’s certainly not healthy for the planet. Two thirds of plastic water bottles are never recycled. If they are incinerated, they release toxic fumes. It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil each year to manufacture plastic water bottles for the United States market. That doesn’t even include the oil that’s used to transport the bottled water to the market.
3- Ask your child to help you always remember to bring your reusable plastic (or canvas) shopping totes into the stores!
*Explain to your child why you want to stop using so much plastic, and tell him that you need his help. Before you set out to the grocery store, it’s his job to gather up the reusable shopping bags. After they helps you unload the groceries, their job is to gather up all the bags and put them back in the car, so that you won’t forget them next time.
** You can make this job more interesting by keeping a running tally of how many plastic bags you’ve avoided using!
4- Look for toys that are made with less packaging and that are made with recycled materials!
*The amount of packaging used for typical toys is ridiculous, and a lot of it can’t be recycled. When you’re shopping for another child’s birthday party, let your child help you scout out gifts that have less packaging and that are made from recycled materials
5- Get them informed
*Have you ever explained to your child that the three arrows in the recycling symbol represent reduce, reuse, and recycle? Help teach the kids about what it looks like to properly recycle (being able to identify which things are recyclable), so they’ll be able to help out when they’re at school or out with friends.
Give children ideas about small changes they can make to help out and remind them that anything they do to help (no matter how big or small) can make a huge difference in man ways!
**(More ways that kids can help the planet):
https://www....et-this-month
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IN YOUR CITY!
*Want to make a change in the way we treat the Earth? Why not start with the place you live and begin to help YOUR city, today?!
-Clean up at Lake Raleigh:
http://calen...tion_id=35425
-Wake Forest Arbor Day Expo and Tree Seedling Giveaway:
https://tria...ree-giveaway/
-Bring the kids out to Crowder County Park to make some eco-friendly crafts:
http://www.w.../default.aspx
-More, free 'Earth Day’ events in the Triangle (on and around 4/22):
https://tria...-triangle-nc/