11 ways to honour Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event that takes place on April 22^nd across the world.

First marked in 1970, over 190 countries and more than 1 billion people celebrate Earth Day every year. It is recognised as a day to raise awareness and tackle environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, deforestation and much more.

Everyone has a part to play even if it is on a small scale, we’ve put together a list of 11 things you can do at home to help.

1. Pick up rubbish while you’re on the go.

A small yet mighty move. This quick act of selflessness can help prevent wildlife from finding and ingesting the rubbish which could harm them. It is also very unpleasing to the eye and contributes to sight pollution. Keep our daily views of nature pretty by picking up litter.

2. Reduce plastic consumption by bringing your own reusable bags to the shops.

Plastic bags have detrimental effects on the environment as they can take up to 1,000 years to breakdown and could end up anywhere such as streams, rivers or the ocean. Furthermore, even though plastic bags are recyclable, they’re often difficult to separate from other recycled products during the process or will float to other parts of the recycling plant. Therefore, it’s best to take them to a specific drop-off point or save time and simply switch to reusable, durable bags!

3. Switch out your car for different transport, even if it’s just a few times a week.

Easily improve your environmental influence by opting for a bicycle ride or walk from time to time. Driving a car is far less eco-friendly as the fumes produced pollute the air. To add, smog, carbon monoxide and toxins are emitted at street level by vehicles which have adverse effects on the humans’ breathing the air directly into their lungs.

4. Shop local.

Buying locally means you’re helping to reduce shipping distances and essentially cutting carbon emissions and air pollution. And not only are you helping save the planet, but you’re also supporting a local business and helping them grow.

5. Shop sustainable brands.

By shopping sustainably, you can buy energy efficient products that reduce your overall energy use such as reusable bee wax wrappers in place of cling film or tin foil. This reduces the production and distribution of single-use materials.

6. Recycle and reuse wherever you can as well as educating yourself on recyclables.

Recycling reduces the need to grow, harvest or extract raw materials from the Earth. In turn, this lessens the impact on our natural resources. Forests can stand stronger, wild animals left in peace, and less water, soil and air pollution. By learning how recycling can protect ecosystems and wildlife, save energy, tackle climate change and more, one is more inclined to be part of the movement.

7. Own a food waste bin.

Food waste bins are beneficial as a way to store and dispose of your biodegradable food responsibly. Leftovers can be turned into fertilisers for agriculture and the gases produced by the rotting food can be collected and turned into natural energy forms. This is much more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels and thus reduces your impact on the planet.

8. Use a reusable water bottle.

Upgrade to a reusable water bottle and you can save around 150 single-use plastic bottles from use every year. By drinking sustainably, you can help reduce greenhouse gases and lower the number of plastic bottles that end up in landfill.

9. Go charity shopping!

You’d be surprised at the gems you can find when you go hunting in charity shops and you can guarantee it’s not going to break the bank with items often being under £10. The apparel industry alone accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions. Millions of new garments are created every year, meaning the energy that goes in the production, manufacturing and transportation is creating a huge carbon footprint on the earth, especially with the rising popularity of fast fashion brands such as Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo, to name a few. By opting for used-clothed, you can take your first steps to tackling the fast fashion crisis.

10. Conserve water.

Be smart when using water. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, take a 10-minute shower, wait until the dishwasher is full before turning it on. By using less water, this preserves the natural resource for our eco-systems meaning wetland wildlife like otters can benefit from it.

11. If you leave a room... turn the lights off!

This is undoubtedly one of the simplest, yet easiest to forget steps we take when trying to save the planet. By turning the lights off this helps save energy as well as reducing carbon emission and other harmful greenhouse gases. And not only are you preserving energy, it's very cost-effective, so it's a win win!

To sum up...

These are just 11 things you can do at home to make the world a better and more environmentally friendly place. The purpose of Earth Day is to encourage people around the world to focus their attention on the challenges the planet is facing. Events will be taking place around the world, signifying the need for change. To find out more about what’s happening, head to EarthDay.org.