Happy Earth Day 2023!
Happy Earth Day!! Here’s 5 tips to make the Earth Better and 3 Earth day Facts!
1. Expand your 3R’s!
You know the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), but there are way more R’s to consider! Sustainability also incorporates:
Rot (to compost your food)
Repair (repair your own items or bring them to a professional)
Recover (find second hand items, use apps like Olio to help prevent food waste, or Recover rainwater with rainwater tanks)
Refill (use a reusable water bottle and utilize zero waste shops to Refill commonly used household and personal care items)
Repurpose (Rethink how to use items once they reach the “end of their life,” like Repurposing clothes into cleaning rags)
Regift (Regift unwanted items to others or to thrift stores and Reuse gift bags, wrapping paper, and ribbons)
Refuse (say no to free goodies you won’t use, Refuse buying single use items or goods from unsustainable companies)
2) Educate yourself on pressing Environmental Issues!
In today’s world, information can be found at the click of a button. Research topics you know little about, stay informed on environmental news, and research the rules and regulations in your own area (message us on Facebook for questions about recycling!)
3) Do a recycling and trash audit!
Audits are used on a larger scale to investigate what is being recycled, but you can also participate in your day-to-day waste. When you fill up either your trash or recycling, find a space to safely pour items out for investigation. Take count of repeated items and ensure that they are in the right bin (do you accidentally have nonrecyclable material in your recycling bin?) This process helps you realize which items are being thrown away the most, which you can then try to find a reusable or recyclable version of. This also prevents nonrecyclables from entering our recycling center.
4) Get involved!
Look for volunteer opportunities in your own neighborhood or municipality to help out (see our recent post for a volunteer opportunity at the County Clean-Up days!)
5) Utilize online communities!
Facebook offers many groups to join for the purpose of environmental education and advocacy. You can also “Like” pages for your own municipality or organizations to stay informed (please “Like” us on Facebook to stay updated on new information and news). Facebook marketplace and apps like Nextdoor, Ebay, Depop and threadUP are great resources to find and sell used items to ensure they don’t go to landfill.
Earth Day Facts:
1) Earth day’s celebrations draw in 1 billion individuals worldwide, making it the largest celebrated secular holiday (Earth.org)
2) The first Earth day celebration was held on April 22, 1970 (nationalgeographic.org)
3) You can participate this Earth Day weekend by attending the Chelsea foam recycling event held from 12-4 today and Sunday!