50 Ways to Make Every Day Earth Day
Celebrate Earth Day with 50 ways you can make every day Earth Day. How many do you do?
1/50: CARPOOL! Carpooling cuts your carbon footprint, reduces costs and parking hassles, and adds more fun to the trip!
2/50: CLEAN VIBES ONLY! Recycle right; put only clean, dry recyclable materials into your recycle bin. Find your local recycling guide.
3/50: CHANGE A BULB! Energy-efficient bulbs reduce power use without sacrificing light. If everyone in the US changed just 1 bulb, it would reduce pollution the same as removing 1 million cars from the road. LEDs do not contain mercury, so they are a better choice than CFLs.
4/50: USE VINEGAR INSTEAD of harsh weed killers. Vinegar is cheap, super-effective, not toxic to humans or pets – even makes a great cleaner, deodorizer + disinfectant!
5/50: WASH ONLY FULL LOADS of laundry (@ lower temp) – save time doing less laundry + if each household in the USA switched from hot to warm water, it could save the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil EACH DAY.
6/50: SMELL A FLOWER – let an attitude of gratitude inspire your good choices. Enjoy the day!
7/50: RECYCLE GLASS – clean, dry and empty. Glass is one of the most recyclable materials around. Every ton of glass recycled saves nine gallons of oil used to produce new glass.
8/50: SKIP THE STRAW! Pass on getting the side of trash with your drink order!
9/50: EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS! Preventing food waste is one of the greatest things you can do for the planet + climate. Make a salad, wrap or omelet. Or check a resource like FridgeToTable.com for recipes to use what you have.
10/50: USE BOTH SIDES! Paper has 2 sides; use both to use half as much paper, and recycle it when you’re done.
11/50: Use RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. A 1x investment in a charger w/rechargeable batteries saves you hundreds of disposables in the long run, reduced hassles of HHW disposal, or running out at the worst time.
12/50: ADJUST THE THERMOSTAT (1-degree saves energy and can reduce costs 10%)!
13/50: OPT OUT OF JUNK MAIL. The average person gets 40 lbs. of junk mail every year that goes straight to the recycling bin. Here’s info from the FTC.
14/50: OPT IN FOR PAPERLESS billing + bank statements. If every household in the US switched to electronic statements instead of paper, it could save 18.5 million trees, 2.2 billion tons of greenhouse gasses and 1.7 billion lbs. of solid waste each year.
15/50: FRIEND YOUR FREEZER! Freeze leftovers, serving sizes for grab/go meals + to save food before it goes bad (fruit for smoothies, etc.) to prevent food waste, save $$!
16/50: RECYCLE ALUMINUM – clean, dry + empty! Aluminum is highly recyclable. It takes the same amount of energy to make 20 recycled cans as it does to make just 1 new one.
17/50: TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER at night. You’ll save $14 in energy costs annually which may not seem like much, but consider unplugging unused appliances/electronics + savings will add up!
18/50: DINE BY CANDLELIGHT. Turn off the lights to save some energy and take pizza night to the next level!
19/50: TURN OFF THE WATER when you brush your teeth. You’ll 1.save an average of 5 gallons of water each day. Together we’ll save 1.5 billion gallons across the US.
20/50: PLANT A NATIVE! California native plants support local wildlife and thrive in our climate with less fuss to make #earthdayeveryday
21/50: EAT A MEATLESS MEAL. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. Each burger that comes from animals on ex-forestry ground is responsible for the destruction of 55 square feet of air-cleaning forest. Search #MeatlessMonday for ideas!
22/50: USE PAPER-BASED cotton buds – if only 10% of households used paper instead of plastic, it would save the equivalent of 150,000 gallons of gasoline.
23/50: RECYCLE CARDBOARD! Clean, dry + flattened makes it ready to recycle in your curbside recycling cart. If you have more than usual from home deliveries as you shelter-in-place, contact your curbside service, or you can bring it to a recycling center later. If it has any grease from food, then it goes in the trash (or you can compost it).
24/50: TAKE A PASS ON PLASTIC TRASH. When ordering takeout or delivery, say “no thank you please” to the side of plastic trash if you’re eating at home and don’t need the utensils, condiment packets, etc. Not only will you reduce your trash to the curb, you’ll save the restaurant some resources too.
25/50: DON’T USE BOTTLED WATER. If you stocked up on cases of bottled water for #shelterinplace, now is NOT the time to use it. Prevent the plastic waste + save it for an emergency when utilities may be compromised like an earthquake or fire. CDC says water supplies are safe.
26/50: BUY ORGANIC! Support organic farmers + farming for a cleaner, healthier planet.
27/50: CLEAN YOUR REFRIGERATOR COILS! Dusty coils can increase energy consumption by 30% and lead to early failure.
28/50: USE CLOTH NAPKINS. If everyone in the USA used just 1 less paper napkin per day it could save a BILLION pounds of landfill space.
29/50: PLANT MILKWEED. This native plant supports Monarch Butterflies – they need your help! #pollinators #CAnatives
30/50: SAVE YOUR CRV containers for recycling/redemption. Give them a quick rinse, shake + dry. Once facilities reopen, Ca$h in your CRV Can$ + Bottle$.
31/50: Are pests bugging you? USE LESS-TOXIC pest control! Most poisonous sprays kill only what you see, but do nothing to solve the problem. Integrated pest management (IPM) techniques can effectively keep pests away for good without killing beneficial insects, and they are safer for people and pets.
32/50: REUSE WASH WATER to rinse out your containers for recycling. You ARE washing your hands frequently, RIGHT? Clean+Dry= #recycleright
33/50: REUSE GLASS Jars + Bottles. Save soups/sauces, give flowers, make salad dressing, store cut herbs, organize small items, drinks to go, travel ashtray + more. The possibilities are endless, and glass is endlessly recyclable, too.
34/50: CHOOSE MATCHES over disposable lighters – plastic and butane are not good for the environment, especially when they end up in the landfill. Choose matches made from wood or recycled paper.
35/50: UNPLUG small appliances + electronics like coffee makers, printers, chargers, etc. when not in use. Plug electronics in 1 surge protector + turn off when not in use to save energy/costs.
36/50: Learn how to STORE FOOD PROPERLY to make it last longer. Did you know you store cut herbs and asparagus like flowers in water, or that you don’t store potatoes with onions? Learn more at savethefood.com – what’s your best tip?
37/50: KEEP BIN LIDS CLOSED to prevent litter. Overflowing bins may incur extra charges from your curbside hauling service, but even worse, can result in unintended litter in your neighborhood. Same thing goes with a public trashcan – if trash doesn’t fit securely inside, it will likely end up on the ground. Prevent litter to keep your community beautiful!
38/50: REPAIR! One of the best “R’s” to help you Reduce waste. Before you trash something, try to fix it first, whether it’s a pair of pants or a gadget. There’s probably a YouTube video to show you how.
39/50: COMPOST your food scraps + plant trimmings. Keeping organic waste out of the landfill prevents the creation of methane gas, a huge help to slow climate change. Composting can be done even in small spaces like a patio. The end product is awesome food for the earth!
40/50: CLEAN THE DRYER LINT TRAP before each use. You’ll save energy costs drying more efficiently. Fun facts: You can compost dryer lint from cottons + other natural fibers. Use dryer lint in a toilet paper tube as a quick fire starter!
41/50: CREATE A DRINK for pollinators. A shallow dish with rocks, marbles, twigs, etc. above the waterline gives bees + butterflies a safe place to land + hydrate. #savethebees
42/50: AVOID PRODUCTS with micro-plastics. Items like exfoliating facial cleansers + water bottled in plastic have tiny pieces of plastic that slip through water cleaning processes, polluting our waterways + food chain. Did you know GLITTER is a micro-plastic pollutant?
43/50: NEVER EVER LITTER. No matter how small, litter pollutes and harms people, wildlife, and our habitat. Don’t litter PPE that can potentially spread coronavirus. Put all trash into the bin, no matter what.
44/50: USE ALL PARTS of your food! Use carrot tops to make pesto or a smoothie. After juicing your lemon, zest the peel to make lemon pepper, then infuse a pitcher of water with the rind. Be creative to use up what you can before you compost the rest. #savethefood #useitup
45/50: KNOW YOUR FOOD LABELS! “Best by” refers to freshness not goodness and “Sell by” actually is for the grocer. Only baby formula is regulated, so trust your senses and learn more at www.savethefood.com before you throw out something just because of the date on the package. #savethefood #useitup
46/50: DON’T FLUSH anything besides the “4 P’s” (Pee, Poo, toilet Paper or Puke). Cleaning wipes are not flushable. Never flush old meds. Anything besides the 4 P’s can clog pipes, and cause problems in sewage treatment that impact our water.
47/50: TOUCH EARTH. Feel the dirt with your bare skin. Contact with the micro biomes in soil can elevate your mood, and what better what to celebrate Earth Day than with the earth? Appreciate the life-giving soil. It may inspire you to use your green yard-trimming bin correctly or to compost, knowing you are returning nutrients back to the soil.
48/50: DONATE! It’s a cornerstone of Reuse, keeping useful resources in circulation. Though some places may not be accepting donations right now, it’s a great time to gather things you haven’t used in a while. Next time you need something, consider buying used!
49/50: PROPERLY INFLATE TIRES. Keep your tires properly inflated and get better gas mileage. Reduce your carbon footprint 20 pounds for each gallon of gas saved. If you’re on a bicycle, you’re reducing that footprint already!
50/50: BREATHE. Take a moment each day to breathe deeply, watch a sunrise, sunset or stargaze. Be grateful for our clean air and consider how you can prevent air pollution with the choices you make.