Whether you are looking to make an impact on a local or global scale, we all have to start somewhere. What better way than to begin on this meaningful day to give back to the planet? Earth Day is the day we show appreciation to Mother Earth – our home. How can sweaty changemakers impact the earth from right at home during this pandemic? Read on to find out!
1. Planting Trees with GO4Trees
As many of you know, wildfires tore through parts of the world, including the USA, Australia, and the exotic rainforests, last year. As of right now, there is about 21% of species in critical risk of extinction due to losing their habitats. Whether that is from forestry or environmental reasons, planting more trees can surely help.
There are almost 2 million cubic meters of wood produced this year alone. What do we need to produce wood for our many needs? You guessed it – trees! Not to mention they are literally our lifeline, supplying us with (hopefully) endless amounts of breathable oxygen.
Nos GO4Trees campaign plants trees for every mile or workout with any activity you choose. The goal is global reforestation, and you can participate from anywhere in the world! Get moving in your own time while helping the planet on Earth Day.
Share sweaty selfies and offer virtual high fives to your team members and other participants from around the world. Give each other the boost and encouragement to keep going, not only on the day we honor Mother Earth but hopefully every day after that.
2. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
One of the best ways to reduce waste is to recycle! This year alone, we have nearing 700,000,000 tons of waste dumped. Pictures of polluted beaches, landfills, and even scraps of litter being thrown on your local sidewalk come to mind. Reducing waste and recycling is almost a way of life. It’s a lifestyle choice that can be started by using products for longer. As an example, you can extend the life of your liquid hand soap by diluting the last little bit.
Make sure you always separate your recycling from your garbage. Everything we buy is harvested from materials that have consequences on the environment. The shirt you are wearing was probably manufactured in a country with factories that produce tons of toxic emissions.
To save the earth from being overrun by plastic, you can look into bringing your own reusable shopping bags next time you peruse the aisles of the supermarket. The number of plastic bags we produced only in 2020 this year may leave you stunned beyond belief. We are currently looking at close to 1,600,000,000,000. That number is over a trillion! One thing this pandemic is helping with is the environment. We see animals repopulating certain cities, and toxic gas emissions have dropped greatly. Let’s keep this trend going once we resume our regular lives.
3. Do Your Part Locally
As many countries are on lockdown, we understand that there is a limit on how wide of a reach you have in terms of helping the planet. However, walks in your neighborhood (with the proper social distancing, of course) are still permitted in some areas. If you are still allowed to enjoy a nice day, why not try to clean up your neighborhood?
Thankfully, waste collection is still considered an essential service in many countries. However, the amount of litter doesn’t seem to drop even with most of us still at home. Grab a pair of gloves and go around your block to pick up stragglers that didn’t make it into the trash can. Neighborhood cleanups are small steps to take to help the earth.
4. Start from Home
Since we are most likely using an abundant amount of resources at home, we can start by limiting how much we expend. Turning off the lights when you leave the room or and unplugging any appliances that are not in use are great ways to reduce energy consumption.
Instead of doing a dreaded supermarket run for bottled water, you can boil your own water from the tap in a kettle to reduce plastic waste. Most of us are lucky enough to have a relatively unlimited supply of water that comes from the turn of a faucet.
Taking the stairs instead of an elevator for those who live in apartment complexes can cut down on energy consumption as well. Not only that, but it can bring you that much closer to that summer body you are working hard for.
5. Self Educate
Be aware of the impact you personally have on the environment. You can do this by calculating your carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint is the amount of CO2 that you produce just by living your life.
After you have the results, you will be able to tailor your lifestyle to effectively reduce said footprint. The statistics may surprise you, and you may feel a pang of guilt, but don’t worry, you can change it by taking action!
Conclusion
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are prohibited from partaking in certain activities this Earth Day. That doesn’t mean we, as a global community, cannot make a difference. Earth Day should be viewed as a reminder to take everyday action to have a lasting impact on our beloved planet.
Any sort of long-term effort can begin right from home, starting with yourself. Let’s band together virtually on this day and take a smaller carbon footprint step into a cleaner future.
Written by Jess Lin.
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