Picture this: You sit down for a meal at a casual restaurant and order a beverage. Let’s say you order a soda drink. Your cup is most likely made of plastic — and the straw that comes with it? You guessed it: Plastic. After you’re finished, it’s thrown into the trash. Maybe it makes it to a landfill but more than likely, it ends up as litter along the roadside or in our waterways and oceans, damaging the environment and potentially harming animals that come into contact with it.

Single-use plastics, like straws, are among the 91% of discarded plastics that never get recycled. On average, Americans use 500 million plastic straws daily. That’s enough to fill more than 125 school buses with straws each and every day.

It’s the responsibility of each one of us to do our part in caring for our planet. We only have one place to call home and that’s why at the Nature Center, we celebrate Earth Day each and every day. Our mission is to conserve a natural area, connect people with nature and inspire environmental stewardship through education and land management activities. The more we know, the more we can do.

Join us and reduce your environmental footprint this Earth Day with these every day tips you can do at home:

HOW TO REDUCE PLASTIC USE

This year’s Earth Day focus is on ending plastic pollution. One way to reduce your contribution to pollution is by purchasing stainless steel, glass or bamboo reusable straws, and opt to say ‘no thanks’ at restaurants or coffee shops that use plastic straws.

Another is to reduce your use of plastic bags at stores. Some local grocers, like Heinen’s, will offer plastic or paper during check out. Opt for paper or better yet, bring your own reusable shopping tote.

Instead of packing a lunch in a plastic container or single-use sandwich bag, use glass containers and reusable, eco-friendly sandwich bags.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Implement a home recycling and composting program. Composting is a way of reusing organic materials while reducing the strain on landfills. Compost makes for an excellent fertilizer for your garden, too!

WAYS TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY

House plants are excellent air purifiers that don’t require much light. Try a Spider Plant, Peace Lily, Bamboo Palm or Boston Fern.

Making home improvements? Many paints, primers and sealers contain VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that are emitted into the air and can affect your health. Opt for low-VOC paints and stains. Another product that carries VOCs? Carpet. Consider cleaning your carpets or replacing with bamboo flooring. Use “low-impact materials” from local businesses that have less resource-intensive manufacturing processes and can be recycled at the end of their lifespan.

EnergyStar certified home air purifiers are a good option, especially in colder months when you aren’t able to open the windows to allow fresh air in.

What can do you to help the air outside of your home? Carpool, use public transportation, or the most environmentally friendly way — bike to work to reduce the amount of pollution and greenhouse gases emitted into the air.

REDUCE ENERGY & WATER CONSUMPTION

Run the washer and dishwasher on cold to save energy and help conserve water by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth. Consider taking a shorter shower or install a new shower head that reduces water flow.

Use LED lighting throughout your home. There are bluetooth capabilities and an app that can connect to certain LED bulbs so that you can turn off the lights even if you’re not home. No more wasted energy! 

Many HVAC systems operate using zoning systems. For instance, you can use a ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ setting to help direct heat or air to certain areas of your home that you use more than others to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat or cool your entire home.

Try going meatless once a week. You’ll help conserve thousands of gallons of water and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. Extra vegetable or fruit scraps? Throw those in the composter to further reduce waste!

USE APPS TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Many of these apps are available for both iPhone and Android users by searching your app store:

EWG Health Living App helps you to scan and see health ratings from many items.

The Good Guide is a similar app that provides a 0-10 rating on household products and goods to help you make smarter choices for your health and the environmental.

#Climate is an app that provides news and resources to those interested in learning more about climate change and how they can play a role.

Recycle Nation App aims to make recycling easier. It allows you to search for recycling locations, search for mail back recycling programs, share recycling tips and track your environmental impact.

Ecosia is a search engine app, similar to Google, that uses profits made from searches to help plant trees. Make a difference by simply switching your search engine, even for a day.

Give02 allows you to find tools that will allow you to live a more sustainable life by tracking things like car emissions during commutes.

Ecoviate is an app that serves dual purposes. It provides news and tips while allowing you to earn “EcoPoints.” The added bonus: For every purchase or download, they plant a tree. 

GET INVOLVED & FIND RESOURCES

Offer to lend a hand to help beautify your community. Join us in celebrating Earth Day at the Doan Brook Annual Stream Sweep & Weed Pull. We help take care of our urban environment by cleaning up winter’s accumulation of trash and pulling invasive plants in the Doan Brook parklands. Register here.

Join a local society that works to preserve the environment or attend a lecture. It’s a great way to meet new people, learn something new and help to clean up our communities on a more regular basis.

Plant a tree or donate what you can, being time or money, to help sustain areas in need of it most. Cleveland has lost approximately half of its street trees over the past 70 years, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Help improve our community by planting a tree!

Not sure how you can do more? Calculate your carbon footprint with a calculator like this one to find tips on how you can better reduce your footprint at home.

Share