Today, on the 22nd of April, we are celebrating Earth Day, aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues and promoting sustainability, as well as serving as a reminder of the importance of protecting our planet and taking action to address environmental challenges.
Earth Day is an excellent opportunity to take time to think about our connection to the natural world, as well as our place and role in it. It encourages behaviours and attitudes aimed at helping preserve the environment, as well as making us feel a part (rather than apart) of the natural world.
Below, we wanted to share with you some ways you can help make a positive impact on Earth Day (and beyond):
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Practice the 3 R’s by reducing waste, reusing items whenever possible, and recycling materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal.
Before buying anything new, ask yourself if you really need this item. If the answer is yes, you can then ask yourself whether you can buy this item second-hand (rather than new).
Regularly going through the items you have, like de-cluttering your clothes, books, or kids’ toys, can help you rediscover items you might not have been aware of, as well as giving away or gifting items that you no longer need. There are a few options for second-hand purchasing, including in-store, such as checking your local charity shops, or through online second-hand retailers, such as Vinted, ThredUp, or eBay.
While recycling schemes differ from one area to another, and not all items that go into recycling get recycled, it is still a good idea to recycle what you can. Check your local authorities to understand your recycling options, including your nearest recycling centre, which can often offer more recycling options than regular recycling collection from your house.
Before discarding broken items, see if it might be possible to repair them. Many places now offer community hubs with advise and/or classes on how to repair clothes, pottery, and other household items. You might find more information about such events near you on your town’s Facebook page or at community hubs/village halls, post offices, and local cafes’ or pubs’ information boards.
If buying new, buying from local and ethical brands is preferable. You can check our ethical brands’ ratings, as well as find more tips on ethical living, on the Ethical Consumer website (subscription-based, however, there is also free information available).
Conserve Energy
Save energy by turning off lights and electronics when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, and reducing heating and cooling costs by adjusting thermostats and insulating your home. Making sure that your electrical equipment is regularly maintained and repaired, if needed, is another option to conserve energy.
Use Sustainable Transportation
Opt for eco-friendly transportation options such as walking, biking, carpooling, or using public transportation to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution. When travelling, check out these tips on how to make your travel more eco-friendly.
Reduce Water Usage
Conserve water by fixing leaks, using water-efficient appliances, taking shorter showers, and collecting rainwater for gardening.
Minimise Single-Use Plastics
Reduce your use of single-use plastics such as plastic bags, straws, and bottles by opting for reusable alternatives. Some shops, and now even supermarkets, offer an option to buy fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts, and grains without packaging, when you bring your own containers or use provided paper bags, as well as refill of your household and products, like laundry liquid, washing up liquid, liquid soap, and others. It might be a good idea to check out refill shops near you.
When buying, you can also look for plastic-free packaging alternatives of your essential items, like bread, rice, tea, coffee, etc.
Participate in Clean-Up Events
Join local clean-up events, beach clean-ups, or community beautification projects to help keep your environment clean and free of litter. When you go on a walk, you can bring a black bin bag to collect rubbish on your walk.
Increase awareness
While individual choices and actions might seem like a drop in the ocean when talking about the environmental issues, raising awareness about environmental issues by sharing information (like the post you are reading), resources, and tips with friends, family, and community members can overtime bring favourable changes in the way we relate to our planet as a community, and how we take care of it.
Forest Bathing and spending time outdoors
Did you know that by simply going into nature, you can help protect it? This can happen for several reasons. Firstly, when we visit a place more, overtime we are more likely to care about it, which can naturally lead to pro-environmental behaviours and attitudes. Secondly, by going into nature, we draw positive attention to it. The more people can go out into nature, the more awareness we can bring to the positive effects that nature can have on our wellbeing. Thirdly, when we regularly go into nature, we might start seeing positive effects on our health and wellbeing. This, in turn, can support nature preservation due to increased perceived value of nature.
Moreover, nature connection, or how we feel and relate to nature, has been shown to not only help our wellbeing, but also positively affect pro-environmental behaviour, which basically means that the more connected to nature we are, the more likely we are to care for it.
If you want to deepen your nature connection, you can learn more about the ways you can mindfully connect with nature through the practice of forest bathing in our upcoming book ‘The Healing Power of Trees’ as well as the companion card deck (coming out soon, but available for pre-order now).
By taking individual actions and collectively working towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle, you can contribute to the preservation of our planet and create a healthier, greener future for generations to come. Earth Day serves as a reminder that every small effort counts in making a positive impact on the planet.
We wish you a very Happy Earth Day!