Gaylord
Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, first introduced the concept of Earth
Day on 22nd April 1970 after witnessing the horrifying impact of the
Santa Barbara oil spill. It has since been observed the world over on the 22nd
of April each year.
Most
of us have had a super hero we’ve inspired to be as a child. We marvel at their
super powers and their abilities at saving the world from various demons. We
might have long grown out of the super hero phase, but a nagging voice remains
on wanting to save the world.
Who
are we saving it from you ask? Sadly we cannot point at anyone but ourselves.
Mother Nature is in turmoil. We have witnessed unprecedented weather change,
the greenhouse effect is well upon us, and despite all our technological
advances, we seem to have ignored trying to patch up the hole in the ozone
layer. Everything has an expiry date, and if we are not careful, our planet’s
date may not be too far away.
Saving
the Earth is not as hard as you might think. It’s the little things that count.
I’ve been jotting down a few ideas that are easy to adopt…
v
Conserve water:
o
Restrict baths to once a week, and take
showers instead.
o
Cut down on your shower time.
o
Don’t let the water run when not in use (like
when you brush, or while you scrub dishes).
v
Save energy:
o
Turn off the lights when not in use.
o
Switch to energy-saving lights. They’ll save
you on the electricity bill too!
o
Dry your clothes on a clothes liner instead of
a drier. You save energy, and your clothes are less likely to shrink or fade.
v
Reduce waste:
o
Take the time and effort to sort out your
garbage and use recycle bins.
o
Aluminum cans should always be recycled. Did
you know 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy it takes to make 1
brand new can?
o
The same goes for recycled glass – a ton of
recycled glass saves us 9 gallons of fuel oil that would be needed to make brand
new glass from scratch.
o
Buy rechargeable batteries. They might be a
bit of an investment, but they save you money in the long run, and save the
environment from toxic waste.
o
We tend to change our mobiles every year, and
old ones can easily be given away for recycling. This will again save on toxic
waste from batteries.
o
When scanning my own garbage bin, I see a
great deal of space is taken by used diapers. By the time a child is toilet
trained, you can easily have used up over 5,000 diapers. So I am planning to
switch to the eco-friendly reusable diaper option.
o
Find a new use for things you want to trash. I
reuse old toothbrushes for scrubbing shoes, cut up old clothing for kitchen
wipes, and reuse glass jars for storing spices.
o
Reconsider buying bottled water. Most of these
bottles are not biodegradable. A more eco-friendly option is to invest in a
good water bottle that you can refill often.
o
And here’s one I should try to adhere to… I
need to control my clothing splurges! I have a wardrobe exploding with clothes.
I need to sort through these and donate what I have not worn for the past year.
v
Save paper and save trees:
o
Write on both sides of paper. I keep a stack
of paper to scribble my thoughts on, and make sure every inch of space is put
to use.
o
The next time you reach out for a paper
napkin, try to use one less than you usually would. Every napkin counts!
o
Pay bills online, and stop paper bank
statements.
v
Take care of your ride:
o
Looking after your car ensures it is fuel
efficient.
o
Drive smart – slow down and refrain from
accelerating and braking often as these contribute to the reduction of fuel
efficiency.
o
Use your cruise control!
o
Choose to buy local produce. You will not only
be supporting your local economy and eating fresher, but will also be saving
the environment from the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the need to
transport from distant locations.
o
Get fit and walk more! Give the car a break.
v
And finally, get green! Get into gardening and
make your world a more beautiful place.
-
Big Sis.
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