Earth Day Celebration: 10 Minutes and 20 Ways to Save the Planet
Each year, we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd to show our support for environmental protection. The journey to celebrate Earth Day started in the year 1970. Our irresponsible behaviour is destroying our environment, and Mother Earth is emphatically demanding that we have to take action. Soil is degrading, and oceans are becoming more acidic due to increasing trash. Millions of people have been affected by extreme heat, wildfires, and floods.
The official theme for this year is "Investing in Plants," because we need a green future. And to accomplish this, we all need 10 minutes a day that can make a tremendous difference in saving Mother Earth. In this article, we'll look at a few ways that can help us to save the planet on this Earth Day.
Plant a shrub/tree
Planting a tree is not only good for the environment but planting trees or shrubs near home is the best way to make our surroundings green and healthy. You'll be surprised to know that a mature tree can absorb an average of 10 kg of CO2 each year, making cities healthier and safer to live in. Trees in cities can lower temperatures by up to 8 degrees Celsius. In addition, having trees near your home will give you good air quality, and flowers, and you can also see singing birds. Well, this will improve your mood as well as your mental wellness.
Further benefits of Trees or shrubs include providing oxygen, reducing soil erosion, reducing the effects of flooding, and providing habitat for approximately 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. Furthermore, forests employ nearly 1.6 billion people, absorb dangerous carbon from the environment, and are crucial ingredients in 25% of all pharmaceuticals.
Clean your surroundings
Cleaning our surroundings promotes a healthy atmosphere that promotes physical and mental well-being and progress. This is something we all want in our lives. Maintaining a clean environment helps to lower pollution, protects endangered species and aids in the preservation of natural resources.
In India, 30–60% of all paper and cardboard is recycled, 50–80% of all plastic is recycled, and approximately 100% of all glass bottles are recycled. In India, total generated plastic garbage is about 3.36 million tonnes per year, with 2–2.35 million tonnes recycled. Which is a good start to making our surroundings clean.
Gather and recycle batteries
Well, you should be aware that batteries contain hazardous chemicals to soil and the environment. Instead of using disposable batteries, aim to use up reusable batteries. Rechargeable batteries create less waste since they can be recharged and reused hundreds of times using a simple battery charger.
They also consume less energy since recharging batteries with a battery charger consumes less energy than manufacturing new batteries.
Use glass bottles
We are all aware of how hazardous plastic is to the environment and our health. Instead of using plastic bottles, consider using glass bottles, which can help you preserve the environment while also allowing you to live a healthy life.
Glass is non-toxic, free of potentially dangerous compounds, and hasn't been linked to many detrimental health effects. It has a lower porosity than plastic. Even when confined for lengthy periods, it has great resistance to leeching into your product.
Try and Buy Recycled Items
Well, instead of wasting money on the same thing over and over. It's better to buy something that you can use again. Purchasing recycled items is an important step in completing a recycled item's lifespan and "closing the loop" in the recycling process.
Starting with this International Mother Earth Day, by purchasing items that contain recycled content, you are preventing those materials from ending up in a landfill and helping to keep consumer demand for recyclables high and recycling programmes going.
This way, you are making less waste, which is a good way to save the environment.
Say No to Showers use Bucket
Although water covers over 70% of the Earth's surface, just about 3% of that water is freshwater. Furthermore, just approximately 0.5 per cent of the water is drinkable. We don't know what will make you think twice about wasting water if that doesn't do it.
Using a shower for a bath wastes a lot of water. Showering for 5 minutes uses up to 50 litres of water! It's even worse if you use a bathtub, which uses an average of 150 litres of water every bath.
Your single step can help a lot to save a good amount of water for future generations. if you switched to a bucket, it would consume less than a quarter of that! On average, one bucket consumes just 18 litres of water.
Stop Using Plastic Bags
Plastic is a substance that does not disintegrate easily in nature, instead, it emits dangerous fumes. Polyethene bags take 1000 years to degrade/break down.
Plastic bags do not biodegrade; instead, they photo-degrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller harmful fragments that pollute soil and rivers. Animals consume them, and they enter the food chain.
Many aquatic creatures die each year as a result of the environmental damage we cause. Plastic bags and other plastic things stay in nature for over a long time and harm nature and aquatic animals.
So on this Earth Day, we should take a pledge not to use plastic bags.
Use non-toxic cleaner
You can choose from a variety of non-toxic cleaners in the market today or manufacture your own. It is significantly healthier and safer for you and your family to use all-natural cleaning solutions. For example, you won't inhale the harsh chemicals found in harmful cleaning solutions. You'll also lower your risk of developing skin disorders like eczema and respiratory infections.
Moreover, when toxic cleaners come into contact with water bodies, they can harm the ecosystem as well as aquatic wildlife. Whereas, non-toxic cleaners are healthier not just for the environment, but also for your family. So this year, on International Mother Earth Day, take a positive step to not use toxic cleaners.
Choose Public Transport
Each year in India, pollution caused by vehicles is 27%, which adds extremely hazardous gases to the air. If you are the one who takes your car just to go alone to your office, then you are contributing to global warming.
Well, on this International Mother Earth Day, instead of going alone, you can either opt for a carpool or take public transport as well to go to your office. Also, this will cost you cheap as well.
Take out your creativity with junk
Every year, the world produces 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid garbage, with at least 33% of that not being managed in an environmentally sound manner.
Well, waste materials are not only for garbage; you can make use of them to make something interesting or decorative for your home. Instead of throwing junk into the environment, seek methods to conserve it and make something useful out of it.
For example, you can use plastic mugs and buckets for planting and decorate them with your creativity.
Go For Eco-material Clothes
There was a time back then when people used to buy only cotton clothes, jute clothes, and silk clothes, and nature was in good hands.
However, as you can see, many synthetic materials, such as polymer, nylon, and others, are hazardous to our environment.
Every synthetic fabric requires a lot of chemicals and produces harmful waste and pollutants. Nylon and polyester both generate nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.
Instead, you should wear clothing made up of cotton, silk, or Khaadi, which is good for your body as well.
Reuse Kitchen waste Efficiently
Food waste decomposition in landfills results in the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane, which contribute to global warming.
Food waste has enormous consequences on a worldwide basis. The best way to reduce food waste is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
Your kitchen’s waste has the right place in your garden where you can use it as organic waste and nourish your garden with waste. What you consider trash might be beneficial to your garden. So, rather than tossing it away, compost it as organic waste in your yard.
Go paperless
Reducing your paper consumption helps to prevent trees from being chopped and reduces the energy required to turn a tree into a sheet of white printer paper. Using less paper also helps you minimise the quantity of waste in your office, reducing the amount of material that ends up in landfills.
Demanding a lot of paper leads to cutting trees. Therefore, instead of increasing paper demand, try becoming paperless at the office or at home. Slowly but steadily, it will have a significant influence on others around you.
So this Earth Day, take a positive step to go paperless. It will be quite a convenient method for you as well to keep the records on your pen drive rather than in heavy paper files.
Donate your unnecessary items
Well, what is wasted in your home can be useful in others’ homes. You can sell it online or donate it to someone who can put it to good use.
Well, this will also help to reduce demand for a product, and small things have a big influence in the long run. And it will also help them save money as well.
Feed stray animals and birds
Forests and the sea environment provide us with food, medicine, and essential raw materials. They maintain a stable climate, oxygenate the air, and convert toxins into nutrition. And birds play a crucial part in the smooth operation of these systems.
In this scorching summer, you should buy some earthen pots and fill them with water for stray pets and birds. Many birds and stray animals die each year as a result of the heat, so if you can provide some food and water to them, it will be a great help.
Make changes to your dietary habits
Many people are choosing to eat organic or sustainable food these days, but it's just one small way you and your family can help the planet every day.
As our resources are limited, ensuring that your food is sustainable is a good decision for everyone, not just for the earth. So make sure you are following healthy eating habits.
