April is Earth Month. The awareness of our environment and this beautiful planet we call home has grown in the past 10 years. What used to be one-day Earth celebration, is now a whole month! So, how can we celebrate our blue planet each day? Here are 5 easy ways to make our daily commitment to keep our planet healthy, clean and beautiful.
1. Give up bottled water
In the past 5 – 10 years water has become a commodity and a large business. Everyone’s right to clean water has now become a privilege and in some parts of the world, a luxury. To make things worse, plastic water bottles have added to the increasing problem of garbage. Please take a few minutes to watch this video called “Story of bottled water” to get the full picture.
2. Ban Styrofoam
Styrofoam has been a long term problem in our landfills. It does not biodegrade and causes ecological harm to our environment through leaching harmful chemicals. When you are eating out, you are likely to come home with a Styrofoam take-out container. Say NO, and bring your own containers for leftovers.
3. Reduce the use of car
Pick one or two days in the week that are car-free days. Use transit, bike and walk on those days. When you are planning your day, group the activities that require use of the car close together to limit the distance driven.
4. Replace 5 incandescent and CFL bulbs for LEDs
Both incandescent and CFL bulbs contain mercury. Mercury is toxic to both the environment and our health. LEDs have same efficiency as CFLs, but have three times the lifespan (25,000 hours) compared to CFLs (8,000 hours). Click here for coupons for LED bulbs.
5. Plant a garden or a tree
The benefits of nature on our health are inarguable. Gardens feed us, provide us with a peaceful sanctuary, and are home to many critters. Trees are the lungs of our planet. Fresh, clean air is the best cure for many ailments of today’s polluted cities.
Let’s make our homes, gardens and cities greener and healthier places to live.
I welcome your feedback. Please share your favourite tips on keeping our planet healthy with me. You can leave a comment right here on the site, connect with me via email or telephone, or join in the conversation on Facebook or Twitter!
Eva
