Earth Day 2020

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22^nd and was created to flood the world with hope, optimism and action, all around our beautiful planet Earth.

The first Earth Day was introduced back in 1970, therefore, celebrating its 50^th Birthday this year, and now has over 75,000 partners working together to drive positive action.

Why does Earth day matter?

Our planet is currently facing two crises, one is the current COVID-19 pandemic and the other is climate change.

There is some good that has come out of a lot of countries being put on lockdown, here are a few of those good news stories:

People in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in decades, as air pollution reduces
China’s carbon emissions during February dropped by an estimated 25%
Venice’s canal water is cleaner than it has been for a long time
Global Carbon Dioxide output is forecast to fall by around 5%, which is the largest amount in over 70 years.

You can do your bit for Earth Day to ensure we come out of the current pandemic better than before by continuing to reduce your carbon emissions and recycling.

“Remember, this is our planet, this is our future.”

How can you help save our planet?

Going green and doing your bit to save our planet is easier than you may think. There are lots of little things you can do every day to help save our precious planet.

Save water to save the world

Conserving water is important because according to theworldcounts.com, if we continue the way we are, freshwater will run out by 2040!

Here are a few ways that you can help save water:

Turn the tap off while you’re brushing your teeth and shaving
Have shorter showers, also turn off your shower while lathering yourself in soap
Take baths when possible, however, only partially fill your tub, this will use less water than even those short showers
Only boil the amount of water you need for your cups of tea and coffee
Collect rainwater for your garden by using a water butt, or another rainwater collection system (this can save up to 5,000 litres of water a year)
Use a watering can or regulated sprinkler system where you can, instead of a hosepipe

There are plenty more ways you can help save water, you can find a few here at Volusia.org.

Plant trees to plant happiness

You can give a little gift to mother nature by planting a tree in your garden, this will increase happiness as well as helping the environment.

Trees and other plants are vital to Earth’s survival, so do your bit and plant trees in your garden.

Here is what your trees will do for the planet:

Absorb carbon dioxide and provide us with oxygen
Improve air quality
Help conserve water
Preserves soil
Helps support wildlife

“The little things that we can do to help save the environment, are the ones that make the biggest difference.”

Buy local or grow your own

Buying local produce like fruit, vegetables and meat from your local farm shop instead of your local supermarket will have a positive impact on the environment:

Will help reduce air pollution because of the decrease of goods being transported across long distances
Many local food producers grow their food organically, meaning they’ll use natural pest repellents and no chemically produced pesticides
Buying locally will help preserve farmland and reduce the amount of space for industrial and commercial development

Growing your own vegetables and fruit where possible will decrease air pollution even more. As you will only be walking into your garden or allotment to pick the produce. It’s as easy as pie, maybe an apple one!

Check out the RHS website for tips on growing your own vegetables.

Restore Not Replace

With many people jumping at any chance to help save our planet nowadays, restoring your furniture is one of those opportunities.

Lots of older furniture is thrown out and disposed of onto a landfill site.

To help reduce landfill, why not upcycle or restore instead!

It is 100% more environmentally friendly as you are helping reduce your carbon footprint and reducing the consumption of Earth’s critical natural resources, by not conforming to purchasing a new item built in a factory somewhere.

You can learn more about Earth Day and how you can help on the Earth Day website.

“If we stand together, we can make the world a better place for all today and for those to come”