This Earth Day looks a little different. Now, more than ever, we are collectively taking stock of what impact we have on the world around us and what a breath of fresh air it can be for our planet when we take a moment to pause and slow down.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and making the most of our current situation, I hope you’re able to take a brief walk or sit outside to soak up the sun today and say a little thanks for the nature that is always nurturing us. Last year, I published a list of ‘15 Ways to Help the Environment Without Drastically Changing Your Life’ (peek here for last year’s list!) – this year I’m bringing you 5 NEW ways to celebrate our planet!
So, LET’S RUN IT DOWN:
1. WANDS FOR WILDLIFE
An URGENT call for any and all beauty queens to save those old mascara wands! Appalachian Wildlife Refuge out of North Carolina accepts donations of used and sterilized mascara wands to help support their wildlife rescue efforts. The soft, yet firm, bristles of mascara wands are perfect to remove fly eggs and larva from the fur and feathers of wild animals.
Appalachian Wildlife accepts donations in February and October of each year. Simply wash your recycled wands in warm soapy water to remove any residual mascara, complete the mail form, and send off your donations to Appalachian Wildlife! The most current shipping address and updates can be found here.
2. OFFSET YOUR FLIGHTS (or ANY carbon emissions!)
Our individual ‘carbon footprint’ is typically measured by the greenhouse emissions we produce and the impact they have upon the environment. Our footprint grows as we produce more greenhouse emissions through daily activities such as driving, heating our homes, waste disposal, and more. A plane flight considerably increases the size of our ‘carbon footprint’ – but fear not!
The concept of ‘offsetting’ a flight is to support activities that promote a reduction in greenhouse emissions to compensate for those produced during your flight. The average cost to offsite a flight can range from $15 USD for domestic to $130 USD for international flights. There are a variety of flight calculators available to determine the offset amount you should elect to compensate for your recent flight – or any carbon emissions you wish to offset.
Airlines such as JetBlue, United, Quantas, Luftansa, and more offer offsetting programs directly through their sites. Organizations such as MyClimate and CarbonFund offer transparency into the type of offset program your funds will support. I prefer to use these sites directly as you can choose projects that align with the efforts you value most. For example, you can choose to support an offset program with a strict environmental emphasis, humanitarian, or one that is active in your backyard or abroad.
3. CRAYOLA COLORCYLCE
Crayola hosts a recycling initiative known as ‘Colorcycle’ where old, used markers can be returned to Crayola where they will recycle all parts of the marker! The marker barrel and cap are recycled as #5 plastic and remaining pieces are converted into energy or wax compounds for asphalt and roofing shingles.
K-12 schools across the continental United Sates and parts of Canada are able to particulate in the initiative. While participation is not open to individuals at this time, you may donate your used markers through your local schools that participate with the program. If your local school is not already an active participant with ColorCyle, encourage school administrators or PTO to register for the program here.
Note, the ColorCycle program is currently paused amid the current COVID-19 health crisis. Marker donation shipments are anticipated to resume once deemed safe and this page may be periodically checked for updates. In the interim, save your markers for future donations!
4. WASTE NOT
It is estimated that roughly 1/3 of food produced for human consumption is wasted. This is devastating when accounting for the waste of water or materials used to produce the food, the expended emissions to transport the food, and the money wasted by end consumers in purchasing the food.
So, let’s waste less. This will be one of the easiest items on this list, because all you have to do is maintain a list of food products in your pantry, freezer, or fridge. As you’ll see below, I keep a running tally and include expiration dates for items that have a longer shelf-life. So, what are the bonuses of keeping this list?
Avoid double-purchases: Take a picture of your list when running out your door for work, the store, etc that you can quickly reference later. This helps to avoid double-purchasing of ingredients you already have on hand.
Expand your creativity: When meal planning, make it a goal to use at least ONE item that you already have. This will inspire creativity to use your ingredients and will ensure food is consumed ahead of the expiration date.
Quarantine pantry: Did you stock-up on alot of groceries ahead of shelter-in-place measures? A quick list like this will help you to remember what to eat first (before anything spoils). Also, it will help you remember that hidden package of Trader Joe’s gyoza in the back of your freezer. (Though who am I kidding, who would forget a treasure like that?)
Donations: If you have any items that are nearing the expiration date that you know you will not consume, consider donating to a local food bank!
5. CSA Boxes
We’re in a unique time right now where social distancing is key – and a CSA box is a great cause that supports healthy distancing and hooks you up with a fresh fruit and veggie delivery straight to YOU! Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes are a monthly subscription service that delivers locally grown fruits and veggies straight to you! Different services allow you to customize your fruit to veggie ratios and delivery cadence. Here’s a few additional benefits of supporting local agriculture:
Supporting farmers that are friends and families in your own community.
Transparency into knowing where your food is grown.
Decreased shipping and handling reduces carbon emissions.
Ability to fully customize delivery selections.
Local, seasonal crops mean FRESH produce at the peak of freshness and taste!
Expand your taste buds and try new things! (i.e.: Lion’s Mane mushrooms vs. those basic baby portabellas)
Personal experience and feedback from friends have unanimously confirmed that Daily Harvest Express is great starter CSA box provider in San Diego. The Red Tricycle has a fantastic list of 14 other local CSA providers around San Diego which includes locations and pricing if you’d like to shop around! During shelter-in-place and afterwards, supporting your local agriculture directly promotes the health of both your family and your local community.
6. PEER PRESSURE (Make saving the world cool)
This is a repeat from last year’s post because it deserves a final spot here for its importance. Helping the environment is not a one-person job, it’s something that we all need to work together on! So, LET’S MAKE SAVING THE WORLD COOL. Peer pressure your friends, in a good way, to help them build better and more sustainable habits. Be excited to share any eco-friendly tips you have with your friends and don’t shame them if they ask silly questions – instead, encourage their excitement to learn. Start a beach clean-up, host a meatless Monday, or if you work in a larger organization- ask your company about ways to make the business more sustainable. You’d be surprised what a difference it can make! I was so excited when my company implemented reusable silverware – this is collectively saving 500lbs of plastic trash for our office location alone per year. Little steps can make big changes, it’s all about starting on the right foot.
Again, thank you from the very bottom of my heart for taking the time to read along and to consider making these small changes to help make our world a better place. Now more than ever, the world is pausing to realize how much we are nurtured by our natural environment and outdoor spaces and we MUST do our part to affect the change we want to see. If you’d like to learn more about how you can make a BIG difference, here are an additional 15 ways to help make our environment a better place. I would also be THRILLED if you shared any helpful ideas of your own in the comments, I always welcome new and creative ways to be and do better!
We all owe it to each other and our planet to stay strong, hang in there and stay green and healthy.
Happy trails, Leah
SOURCES
https://www.appalachianwild.org/wands-for-wildlife.html
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/household-carbon-footprint-calculator
https://www.green-e.org/certified-resources/carbon-offsets
https://www.myclimate.org/
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/everything-you-need-to-know-carbon-offsetting-flights/
https://www.crayola.com/colorcycle
https://inhabitat.com/crayola-colorcycle-initiative-offers-free-recycling-for-markers-used-in-k-12-classrooms/
https://www.crayola.com/faq/your-business/can-crayola-markers-be-recycled
https://web.archive.org/web/20191027043030/
https://redtri.com/socal/csa-boxes-san-diego/slide/1
https://www.dailyharvestexpress.com/