Make Earth Day Every Day.
Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. Photo by Rob Klaus
April 22 is Earth Day. Earth Day was started in 1970 to raise awareness about the growing environmental crisis. And while we’ve made progress since that first Earth Day (the EPA was created at the end of 1970, as a result of Earth Day demonstrations), our progress hasn’t been enough to halt man made climate change and avert the crisis environmentalists knew we were headed toward a half century ago. When it comes to the environmental crisis there are so many factors involved - manufacturing, transportation, farming - they all play a role in the degradation of our planet, and all of them will take broad policy change to really move the needle on the global thermometer. But that doesn’t mean as individuals we are helpless in addressing this very real existential threat. First and foremost, we should all be adding climate as our top priority when we visit the polls on election day. Policy change happens when we have the right policy makers in office. And as I’ve said often, any other issue that you might care about hardly matters at all if we don’t address the climate. VOTE!
In February, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their latest report, and for lack of a better word, it’s grim. The 2022 report found that the impacts of climate change are reaching every corner of the globe, with 20 million people impacted by storms and flooding yearly, and almost half of the population facing water insecurity for at least one month every year. Not to mention the increasing number of devastating wildfires each year, the rise in insect borne diseases, and the loss of entire species and ecosystems (like the coral reefs) that are unable to adapt to the changing climate. And none of this is going to get better…….the 1.5 degree warming limit agreed upon in the Paris Climate Agreement is all but a pipe dream. While we are making strides to reduce our emissions and clean up our energy sector, global emissions still need to drop nearly tenfold to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement.
What this means is that we will likely reach that critical tipping point in our lifetime. This isn’t some far off problem for future generations to deal with. This is our problem. We ARE the future generation that is here to deal with it and therefore, we are all in a position of responsibility to do something about it.
Let’s be honest - it’s not the Earth that is in crisis, it’s the humans and animals, plants, and other living creatures that call Earth home that are really in crisis. Mother Nature is intelligent, and if humans could just leave her alone she will repair herself. The Earth isn’t in trouble, WE ARE!
Thinking about the environmental crisis can be overwhelming, and at times it can feel so big that it feels hopeless. But as activist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~Margaret Meade
That small group is US, we can change the world if we all commit to doing everything we can, starting now, to reduce our environmental impact. If each one of us reduces our impact individually the collective impact can can be enormous. We can save one another.
So, what can you do? Here are four simple things you can do starting right now.
Be a conscious consumer. Buy less. And when you do have to buy something, consider that product’s impact. How was it manufactured, packaged, and shipped. Is it packaged in unnecessary plastic? Did you have to have it shipped across the country? And most importantly, do you really NEED it? How much of what you buy becomes your trash? (see action number 2 below). If you need new clothes check out all of the great thrift and consignment options. The fashion industry is reportedly responsible for 10% of human greenhouse gas emissions. Seventy million trees are cut down annually to produce the fibers that become your clothes, and 93 billion metric tons of clean water go into the fashion industry annually according to the Columbia Climate School’s State of the Planet report.
Watch your waste. According to the EPA, the average American produces just under 5 pounds of unrecycled waste DAILY. 5 POUNDS!! PER PERSON!! EVERY DAY!! That’s a total of over 1,700 pounds of trash every year and is 3 times higher than the global average of waste production. We are essentially a “throw away” society. Don’t want it anymore? Throw it away. But where is “away”. Out of sight, out of mind might be convenient — but when you throw “away” that trash, it doesn’t really go away. Aluminum cans can take up to 100 years to decompose. Plastics can hang around in the landfill for up to 1,000 years. And a lot of your discarded plastic ends up in waterways, and eventually in the ocean. Scientists estimate that about 8 million metric tons of plastic ended up in the ocean in 2010. By 2040 it’s projected that almost 30 million metric tons of plastic will be in the ocean. All of that plastic presents a big problem for marine life and ecosystems.
Compost. Even your food waste, most of which is biodegradable, causes a problem. Americans throw away nearly 40% of the food they purchase, that means the energy, water and resources used to produce that food are also wasted. In fact, according to the World Wildlife Foundation, “In the US alone, the production of lost or wasted food generates the equivalent of 32.6 million cars.” And when your food waste is mixed with other waste and dumped in the landfill it produces methane as it decomposes. Methane is more than 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere. About 20% of all methane emissions come from landfills, and much of that is due to the rotting food you throw in the trash. Here’s a quick guide to help you get started.
Eat more plants! Researchers at University of Oxford found that we cut our carbon footprint in half by switching to a vegetarian diet (lower if you go vegan), and can cut it by up to one third simply by choosing more plant based meals, and reducing meat consumption. Making the switch to plant based not only has the potential to reduce green house gas emissions (carbon emissions reduced by 66 gigatons if half of the world’s population eats plant based), but it also helps reduce water usage as well. One pound of beef requires up to 8,000 gallons of water to produce, compared to one pound of tofu which takes just over 300 gallons. And while we might have the illusion that fresh water will run out of our taps endlessly, this country is already facing major water shortages.
At its core, yoga is the practice of mindfulness - being consciously aware of our day to day actions. Simply by extending the mindfulness you bring to your yoga mat to your consumption and waste, you can make a BIG difference. Celebrate this Earth Day by taking your yoga off of your mat, and into the rest of your life. Commit to more mindfulness around your consumption and your waste. Before you make a purchase, pause, take a breath, consider the impact of what you are about to buy. Before you throw something away, ask yourself, “can this be recycled or reused?”. Plan your weekly menu to include at least one fully plant based day — try Meatless Monday. And finally, go outside — fall in love with the Earth — you can’t help but want to save her (and while you’re at it, saving all that inhabit her).
**Curious about your environmental impact? Visit footprintcalculator.org and find out how you stack up.