What is Earth Day?
Have you ever wondered how Earth Day started? The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, when San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join a grassroots rally. Facing dangerously serious problems involving toxic drinking water, air pollution and the effects of pesticides, as many as 20 million Americans, 10% of the population, ventured outdoors and protested together.
President Richard Nixon led the nation in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, which was followed by successful laws including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. McConnell had chosen the vernal equinox (March 20, 1970), but Nelson chose April 22, which ended up being the official date of the celebration. Today, not only is Earth Day a day set to raise awareness of environmental issues, it is also becoming a popular time for many communities to come together to clean up litter, plant trees, or simply reflect on the beauty of nature. Here is a list of activities and projects you can do to improve your local environment! Human activity and the need to respond to the needs of an increasingly large global population are destabilizing the natural balance of our planet and weakening the sustainability of modern society. Paying attention and implementing appropriate behaviors to safeguard the planet is more important than ever. But in practice?
Today, not only is Earth Day a day set to raise awareness of environmental issues, it is also becoming a popular time for many communities to come together to clean up litter, plant trees, or simply reflect on the beauty of nature. Here is a list of activities and projects you can do to improve your local environment! Human activity and the need to respond to the needs of an increasingly large global population are destabilizing the natural balance of our planet and weakening the sustainability of modern society. Paying attention and implementing appropriate behaviors to safeguard the planet is more important than ever.
But in practice?
Water is a precious commodity and unfortunately the daily waste is very high. How can we reverse the course? Do not let the tap water run unless strictly necessary, always use the washing machine and dishwasher with full loads, replace leaking pipes or taps.
Use the car less
When possible, leave the car at home and adopt other solutions, such as public transport, or use the bicycle. Alternatively, you can use micro-mobility such as electric scooters or e-bikes.
Don’t waste electricity
With a few small tricks we can save money and protect the environment, for example by purchasing class A appliances, unplugging unused appliances, turning off the light every time we leave a room and using energy-saving light bulbs.
Reduce the consumption of meat and fish
Choose a varied diet, consisting of fruit, vegetables, vegetable proteins (especially if at 0 km). You don’t have to give up animal sources, but make sure the meat comes from organic and non-intensive farms.
Do the separate collection
Sorting waste, trying to recycle as much as possible. Avoid waste, unnecessary packaging, do not use plastic plates and cutlery, reuse everything that can be reused.
Shopping smart
Even when we shop we can make responsible choices, use canvas bags for daily shopping and, when possible, use detergents on tap and loose products.
Use recycled paper
If absolutely necessary, use recycled paper. Do not print emails or other documents unless strictly necessary.
Plant a tree
Did you know that a medium-sized tree can assimilate on average about 6 kg of CO2 every year? A good reason to promote urban gardens.
Optimize heating
Avoid keeping the house heating at a temperature above 19 °. Replace old fixtures to improve energy efficiency.
Choose ecological cosmetics and detergents
Another concrete help comes from the choice of products for cleaning the body and the house, using eco-bio detergents and cosmetics, without parabens and other toxic substances.
