Earth Day Birthday

Fifty years ago, Earth Day Network organized the first Earth Day and mobilized millions of Americans for the protection of the planet, essentially launching the modern environmental movement. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to the street, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for the planet. Earth Day has led to the passage of landmark environmental laws in the U.S., including the Clear Air Act, Clear Water Act and Endangered Species Act. For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, 2020’s theme is climate action, and a new generation of environmentalist activists is growing to face continual global threats that demand a unified global response.

From earthday.org, here are 50 tips that can make a difference every day of the year.

Join Earth Day Network’s campaign to Protect Our Species.

Join Earth Day Network’s campaign to End Plastic Pollution.

Plant a tree or donate a tree through the Canopy Project.

Join Earth Day Network’s campaign to create Foodprints for the Future.

Join a local park, river or beach clean-up.

Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.

Replace inefficient incandescent light bulbs with efficient CFLs or LEDs. Reduce your carbon footprint by 450 pounds a year.

Keep curtains open during the day for some natural lighting instead of turning on the lights.

Carpool, ride your bike, use public transportation or drive an electric or hybrid car. Reduce your carbon footprint by 1 pound for every mile you do not drive.

Keep your tires properly inflated and get better gas mileage. Reduce your carbon footprint by 20 pounds for each gallon of gas saved.

Change your car’s air filter regularly.

Teleconference instead of traveling. If you fly five times per year, those trips are likely to account for 75% of your personal carbon footprint.

Stop using disposable plastics, especially single-use plastics like bottles, bags and straws.

Recycle paper, plastic and glass. Reduce your garbage by 10% and your carbon footprint by 1,200 pounds a year.

Donate your old clothes and home goods instead of throwing them out. When you need something, consider buying used items.

Use cloth towels instead of paper ones.

Change your paper bills to online billing. You’ll be saving trees and the fuel it takes to deliver your bills by truck.

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