Save Planet Earth: Practical Ways to Make a Difference

Happy Earth Week! Friday, April 22 is Earth Day.  Check out this previous post for a bit of cosmic perspective on our planet.

Earth feels pretty big and stable when you are going about your daily life. Having a cosmic perspective of our planet can help you realize that Earth is tiny, fragile, and constantly shaped by human actions. Every choice you make and item you purchase has a consequence. You can help lessen the effects of global climate change and help the environment by making simple changes to your lifestyle. As your habits gradually change, sustainability will become a way of life, and not a burden at all.  

Our beautiful planet from a million miles away. Image Credit

An individual’s largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions (the greenhouse gas largely responsible for climate change) are from transportation and household electricity use. Reducing the energy used in these areas can have a big impact. 

Ride a bike! If your destination is within 5 miles, you will probably be able to cycle there in 40 minutes or less. Biking is good for you, produces zero emissions, reduces traffic, causes minimal wear on roads, and is fun! If you can’t replace all your driving with cycling, start by just replacing the shortest trips. The Peoria area has a great biking community. Join up with groups such as Bike Peoria, the Illinois Valley Wheelm'n or PAMBA to learn more about cycling.

If cycling isn’t for you, try walking or riding public transportation. Sharing your trip with others significantly reduces the carbon emissions per person. 

In your home, the biggest energy hog by far is heating and cooling. You have to heat your home in the winter, so try getting a programmable thermostat and turning the heat down at night or when you are at work. In the summer, see if you can take the heat and leave the air conditioning off! It can be done – people didn’t have air conditioning for thousands of years. If this seems too much for you, try keeping your air-conditioning a few degrees higher than your normal setting. 

My husband and I love to garden. We enjoy the hobby, the food, and the benefit to the planet!

A surprising amount of energy goes into the food you eat. There is a tremendous amount of energy and water used to plant and harvest foods, transport them to be processed or sold, and then to keep them fresh for eating. Meat production uses ten times the energy of vegetable farming, because food has to be grown and harvested for animal feed, the feed has to be transported to the animals, then the meat has to be harvested, transported, and stored before it finally gets to your supermarket. To reduce the energy cost of the food you eat, try eating vegetarian meals once a week, or even more. You will spend less on food, and help the environment. For the greatest impact, try eating meat only rarely, or going completely vegetarian. Support local farmers, for the health of your local economy and the earth – the food has to travel much less if you buy it at a farmer's market. Better yet, start a vegetable garden yourself!

Adjusting your method of transportation, heating and cooling, and food choices are the three biggest ways you can reduce your impact on the planet. There are many ways you can help, however.

Buy less stuff! Recycling and reusing are important, but the most important of the three ‘R’s is reduce. Buying fewer products means less waste, and less energy used in production of products. If you have the option, buy items used.

Switch your home appliances and lighting to energy-efficient options.

Stop buying bottled water. Carry a reusable bottle with you. Single use plastic is abundant, and will never disappear. It is already having dramatic effects on ocean life. 

There is a tremendous amount of plastic in our oceans. Image Credit

Learn how to mend clothing, repairing clothes rather than buying new.

Eat at home more often! It is less expensive, and uses much less water than restaurants are required to use. Pack a lunch in reusable containers, rather than disposable bags.

Replace disposable cleaning products (paper towels, sponges, etc.) with reusable cotton cloths.

 
These are some simple ways that you can help the planet. They may seem like a lot of work if you try to do everything at once, but when you make gradual steps towards a more environmental lifestyle, it isn't hard at all. Having a cosmic perspective helps us understand that our Earth is special, and fragile. I really hope we visit another planet someday, but it is very unlikely we will be going there to stay. We need to take care of this planet we've got. 

Sunrise from the ISS. Image Credit

Happy Earth week!