Our planet is dying.
Today is Earth Day, a day which most may ignore and carry on about their daily lives, pretending that the planet is fine. Well, it isn’t.
The oceans are rising, global warming is happening faster than ever and pollution is at an all time high. Did you know we only recycle 9% of the plastic we use? Leaving the rest to go to landfill or end up in our oceans.
On this Earth Day, why don’t we all pledge to do better, our planet needs you to. She is dying and we are the disease that have wreaked havoc on her since the Industrial Revolution began. We can no longer be idle and pass it on as someone else's problem
Download Ecosia onto your Chrome
The browser that plants trees! So far since they started up in 2009 Ecosia have planted over 55 millions trees, helping to transform landscapes and rebuild the environments we have been so hell bent on destroying. Approx. 45 searches will finance a tree. Just on my laptop which I got in October, I have so far completed 529 searches, divide that by 45 and you get nearly 12 trees, just from one persons browser. Now imagine what would happen if everyone used it. The world would definitely be a lot greener.
Make Eco-Bricks
Gather up all those little pieces of plastic like crisp wrappers, cling film and any other plastic waste you can’t recycle and shove it into plastic bottles, until it is jammed full. Collect a load of them and now you have what is known as a “ecobrick”, that can be used in construction to help build houses and even schools. Pretty cool right?
Just make sure that everything is super clean, as food residue produces methane which can be explosive, so be careful.
Take public transport where possible, or walk, or ride your bike
This seems so beyond obvious at this point - more people on one mode of transport = less emissions. Cycling or walking = No emissions and decent exercise, do I really need to expand any more?
Reduce what you buy
This is a biggie. We live in such a consumer driven world. Fast Fashion, the ease of disposable products and constantly changing trends mean that we are being pulled into buying the next big thing, thinking that we need it. Newsflash, you don’t. You see that old black bikini? It definitely still fits you so you DO NOT NEED A NEW ONE! (This is me talking to myself as much as it is to you) In a world where everything is too easy, make an effort to make the conscious choice. Pause, think if you really need it, and if the answer is yes then try to find it second hand first.
Repair and Get rid of old clothes. So this kind of fits with reducing your consumption. One way to do this is to buy things that last and not throw clothes out as soon as they get a hole. Sew it up. If the legs of your trousers are too long, teach yourself how to hem them. Is a dress too big? Wear a belt around your waist, or - if you can’t do it yourself - get someone to take it in.
If you have a clear out, don’t just throw things away. Let your friends rummage through them, see if theres anything they like, then give the rest to charity. You could even sell them on Depop, Ebay or Vinted. You get money, someone gets the item they have been wanting, it’s a win win.
Refill and Reuse
One way to get rid of some of your waste is to keep old containers. Instead of adding them to landfill or hoping they get recycled, reuse them. You can do so may things with all of these containers depending on their size and shape etc. For example:
Big glass jar = Flower Vase or Plant Pot
Little jar = Spice jar or jewellery dish
Pot = Perfect place to keep hair grips.
That old Marmite jar = Toothbrush holder or Pen pot.
That's just a few ideas. if you are lucky enough to have a refill store near where you live then the possibilities are endless. Now, I don't buy new bottles for my conditioner, as I can just refill the one I already have. No waste, but still more product.
What have you been doing to help the Earth?
Comments