Earth Day

April 18, 2019

The biggest lesson of Earth Day is that when we come together, the impact can be monumental. Going green involves making small changes that add up to making a big difference. Commit to earth-friendly acts, make more sustainable choices, reduce your carbon footprint, conserve energy and resources, collaborate on environmental projects in your community, vote for leaders committed to protect us and the environment, and share your acts of green to help educate and inspire others!

Protecting our environment today and helps to create a healthy, more sustainable future. Here are a few (25!) simple and easy tips to help you go green, protect the earth, save money and make every day Earth Day. You can make a difference!

1. Plant a tree or donate a tree.

2. Join a local park, river or beach clean-up.

3. Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.

4. Replace inefficient incandescent light bulbs with efficient CFLs or LEDs. Reduce your carbon footprint by 450 pounds a year.

5. Carpool, ride your bike, use public transportation - like SEPTA! - or drive an electric or hybrid car (if you must drive). It's a fact - you reduce your carbon footprint by one pound for every mile you do not drive!

6. Teleconference instead of traveling. If you fly five times per year, those trips are likely to account for 75% of your personal carbon footprint.

7. Stop using disposable plastics, especially single-use plastics like bottles, bags and straws. Instead use reusable bottles for water, reusable mugs for coffee, pack your lunch in a reusable bag, and bring reusable bags when you shop.

8. Recycle paper, plastic and glass. Reduce your garbage by 10% and your carbon footprint by 1,200 pounds a year.

9. Donate your old clothes and home goods instead of throwing them out. When you need something, consider buying used items.

10. Use cloth towels instead of paper ones.

11. Change your paper bills to online billing. You’ll be saving trees and the fuel it takes to deliver your bills by truck.

12. Read documents online instead of printing them.

13. Buy local food to reduce the distance from farm to fork. Buy straight from the farm, frequent your local farmers’ market, or join a local food co-op.

14. Grow your own organic garden, or join a farm-share group.

15. Compost kitchen scraps for use in your garden — turning waste into fertilizer.

16. Take a shorter shower and use a water-saving shower head.

17. Run your dishwasher only when it’s full to save water and energy.

18. Conserve water outdoors by only watering your lawn in the early morning or late at night. Use drought-resistant plants in dry areas.

19. Form a “green team” at your office to find cost-effective ways to conserve resources and promote sustainability.

20. Volunteer for a local environmental group and/or make a donation.

21. Turn off and unplug electronics you’re not using. This includes turning off your computer at night.

22. Turn off lights when you leave a room.

23. Take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy (and get exercise!).

24. Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer to reduce your carbon footprint by 2,000 pounds.

25. Use energy-efficient appliances and electronics.

Of course, we're partial to #5 because whether you ride or not, public transportation benefits all of us - it reduces pollution, eases traffic congestion, and helps our communities thrive. But doing any one of these things makes for a brighter future and again - small changes add up to a big difference.

Leave a comment below to let us know what you're doing RIGHT NOW to make the world a little greener!