Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries. Earth Day is April 22nd of every year. April 22, 2020, will mark 50 years of Earth Day.
In its simplest form, it’s a day for people to step back, take a deep breath and appreciate Earth in all its splendor. But for many people, Earth Day holds the potential to ignite broad environmental action.
The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.
As part of our Earth Day celebrations, Alan Murphy had a trio of very inspirational, eco-friendly guests on The A-List for a great chat about doing our bit for our amazing planet. Listen back here to Alan's thought-provoking Earth Day discussion with Fionnuala Moran, Lisa Regan and Finn Ní Fhaoláin. It's all about being kind to yourself, each other and our planet Earth ......
Here are some suggested changes you could make in your life to make our planet a better place.
1) Get a Recyclable Water Bottle
A million plastic bottles are transported around the world every minute and this figure will increase by another 20% by 2021. Current estimates are that more than half a trillion plastic bottles will be sold annually by the end of the decade. This demand, equivalent to about 20,000 bottles being sold every second, is being caused by an increased desire for bottled water and beverages globally. As their use increases worldwide, attempts to recycle the bottles to prevent them from polluting the oceans, are failing to keep up. Less than half of the bottles bought in 2016 were collected for recycling and just 7% of those collected were recycled into new bottles. Instead, most plastic bottles produced end up in landfills or in the oceans. Ending society’s addiction to unnecessary water bottles would be greatly appreciated by Earth :)
2) Start Composting
Earth is the ultimate recycler, it reuses everything that it creates with a little help from the Sun. Even with all of our efforts to prevent it, there will always be some food waste to manage. Composting is a great way to get a final use out of food.
Composting is the natural process of decomposition that turns organic materials like garden waste and vegetable food scraps into a dark, crumbly and earthy smelling material called compost. Compost is rich in nutrients and is great for your garden, shrubs or even indoor potted plants.
3) Plant a garden
Plant some flowers and get a beautifully fragrant garden. And then plant some vegetables and get all the produce you need. Take a look at McGaughs Gardening Complex tips on how to look after your garden. Check out this starter guide to creating your own garden.
4) Buy a tree certificate
Trees are amazing. But humans relentlessly chop and burn them down. So this Earth Day buy a certificate from Stand for Trees to protect a batch of trees somewhere in the world that’s at risk of deforestation.
5) Build a birdhouse
Building a birdhouse is easier than you think. All you’ll need is a couple of pieces of wood for birds to stand on and a place to put bird feed. Here's an easy guide.
6) Make your home energy efficient
Insulate your home. According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), on average, a home loses 20 to 30% of its heat through its walls - which rises even further if they are not insulated - and up to 30% can be lost through a poorly insulated attic.
As such, insulation can help massively in reducing heat loss and helping you to save money on your bills.
From improving insulation to using LED lights to getting a water heater, improving a house’s energy efficiency both helps the environment and saves you a lot of money in the long-run.
7) Becoming a better grocery shopper
First, get a reusable grocery bag to limit all the plastic produced in the world. Then try to buy fresh foods that you can carry in reusable containers. For example, fresh fruits and vegetables don’t come prepackaged. Also, nuts, lentils, coffee beans and many other dry goods can generally be purchased from bulk containers. By using reusable containers, you’re further reducing the amount of plastic in the world.
8) Enjoy nature
Make sure you set aside a lot of time to enjoy nature this Earth Day. Go for a walk, and appreciate the moment, all within 2km of your house adhering to the health and safety guidelines from our government.
Sources used: https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/
