April 22 is Earth Day. I encourage you to forget that and step up and think about our planet 365 days a year. That is actually how I came up with the name of my new environmental sustainability business, OurPlanet365.
Our wonderful planet deserves our gratitude and needs us to support it every single day of the year. By now, you probably are doing at least a few things to help our planet. Below are some suggestions, in no particular order, for how you might want to up your personal game this year. This list is not exhaustive whatsoever, and I could easily write a separate post about each of these topics.
Reduce your consumption. Instead of being “great at recycling,” try to buy less things. Do you really need it? Will it really bring you deep joy? Our recycling plants and systems are overrun. Don’t let “Oh, I will recycle it or give it away later” be your excuse to buy unneeded stuff. This goes for clothes, cosmetics, sports gear and a whole host of other items.
Make smart decisions about packaging. Some items (e.g. berries or lettuce in plastic containers) are unnecessarily overpackaged. Opt instead for fresh items with no packaging, less packaging or compostable packaging. Your local farmer’s market is a great place to start for fresh fruits and vegetables with no, or more conscientious, packaging. Also be mindful about overpackaged toiletries, toys and other items.
Use a reusable water bottle and coffee cup. I can’t believe I even have to list this one still. Single-use plastic water bottles are literally trashing our world, including our precious oceans. Unless you are in a place with unsanitary tap water, there is no reason to be buying water in single-use plastic bottles. You are also encouraged to use your own reusable coffee cup when buying coffee to-go from a coffee shop, as well as ordering a “cup for here” (which is washable) when you plan to sit and enjoy the ambiance of the place.
Ride your bike or walk instead of driving to your destination. When you have simple trips, like running a quick errand, going out for a cup of coffee or grabbing lunch, try riding your bike or walking. And, of course, if you can cycle to work that is fabulous at many levels. I won’t lecture on the importance of reducing our carbon emissions on this earth as you all know we need to.
Consider no longer eating meat. It is not easy to make this change, but giving up meat is good for animal rights, environmental sustainability and health reasons. I took this step on January 1, 2020 and can tell you most of the meat cravings subsided after a couple months. (To be transparent, I still eat eggs, dairy and a little bit of seafood.) I commend all the people who made the decision to go meat-free much earlier in their lives.
Combine your online purchases. Sites like Amazon and its Amazon Prime option make it too easy to buy stuff when you want it. Try to create a list of what you need and buy it all at once at the end of the week or month. It doesn’t always come in only one package, but at least you tried your best to not buy them on separate days one-at-a-time.
Pick up trash in your neighborhood. I am lucky to live in a nice neighborhood, yet am always surprised at the bits of trash that accumulate because people don’t bother picking it up. I go out with gloves once every few weeks and pick it up on the route that I walk with my dog. Seems like the mere sight of me doing it also encourages people to be better about keeping their areas cleaned up.
Stop using paper towels at home. This one is pretty simple. Just use washable napkins, dish rags, dish towels and other rags. I have been doing this for three decades thanks to an early environmentalist who inspired me back then. And try to use the air-dryer option for your hands, instead of paper towels, when using a public restroom.
I could list at least 100 more things you could do to help the planet, some major, some minor. And I don’t pretend to be perfect as far as environmental sustainability goes. But I do try to be a good environmental steward of our planet 365 days a year.
Little actions by millions of people add up, and they inspire others to do the same. I encourage each one of you to up your game this year and work on ways to further minimize your environmental impact.
