April 22, 2023 is Earth Day
What exactly is Earth Day and why should we care?
Earth Day started on April 22, 1970 in the US with a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. It now is estimated that more than a BILLION people participate in this event around the globe each year.
This is an annual recognition that we all can play a role in making the Earth a healthier, happier place for ourselves and generations to come. It also is a call to action that we all can and should heed, not just on this day each year but on every day of the year. An action can be as simple as picking up litter and planting a tree. Or it could be a commitment to reduce or eliminate single use plastics in our daily experience.
Does it matter? Yes.
A plastic water bottle thrown in the trash takes 450 years to decompose in a landfill. In the US 1,000 people open a water bottle each second and 90% of these bottles do not get recycled. That leaves a lot of plastic to contaminate the earth and the oceans for a very long time. This means that 18 generations to come will have to contend with every plastic bottle that we throw away.
Unless something is done about it!
Finding solutions does not take a degree in rocket science. One small way my family has been reducing our carbon footprint for more than 50 years is by making our own yogurt in totally reusable glass canning jars. Because it does not contain the additives found in store-bought yogurt, homemade yogurt tastes a lot better and is healthier. And since we have eaten a lot of yogurt in the last 50 years, think of all the plastic containers we have not had to recycle!
Find simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint and help save the planet!
Resources
https://www.jerseyislandholidays.com/plastic-bottle-pollution-statistics/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/earth-day
https://www.oceanicsociety.org/our-work/plastic-pollution/
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017991-creamy-homemade-yogurt