Earth Day

Since the World’s first Earth Day in 1970, over a billion people have contributed to the future of the planet and over 75,000 partner organisations have joined to build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and this globe.

The following gives some practical things to do on Earth Day (and all other days):

1. Join a local park, river or beach clean-up.
2. Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.
3. Replace inefficient incandescent light bulbs with efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) or Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to reduce your carbon footprint by >200 kilograms a year.
4. Carpool, ride your bike, use public transport or drive an electric or hybrid car, reducing your carbon footprint by 0.3 kilogram per kilometre.
5. Keep tyres properly inflated for better fuel mileage.
6. Change your car’s air filter regularly.
7. Teleconference instead of travelling.
8. Stop using disposable plastics, especially single-use plastics like bottles, bags and straws.
9. Recycle paper, plastic and glass.
10. Donate old clothes and home goods instead of throwing them out; and buy used items.
11. Use cloth instead of paper towels.
12. Change paper bills to online billing.
13. Read documents online instead of in print form.
14. Use 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
15. Set your office printer to print two-sided.
16. Collect used printer, fax and copier cartridges to recycle.
17. Choose eating venues that have reusable utensils, trays and dishes.
18. Use reusable bottles for water, and reusable cups/mugs for tea and coffee.
19. Bring reusable bags for shopping.
20. Pack your lunch in a reusable bag.
21. Organise for healthy, locally-sourced food to be served at school and community events.
22. 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.
23. Buy organic food to keep your body and the environment free of toxic pesticides. Support farmers and companies who use organic ingredients.
24. Grow your own organic garden, or join a farm-share group.
25. Reduce your meat consumption to curb carbon emissions from the livestock industry.
26. Compost kitchen scraps for use in your garden — turning waste into fertilizer.
27. Take a shorter shower and use a water-saving shower head.
28. Fix leaky faucets and shower-heads.
29. Run your dishwasher only when it’s full to save water and energy.
30. Conserve water outdoors by only watering your lawn in the early morning or late at night. Use drought-resistant plants in dry areas.
31. Wash your clothes only when necessary, use cold water and line dry.
32. Form a “green team” at your office to find cost-effective ways to conserve resources and promote sustainability.
33. Volunteer for a local environmental group and/or make a donation.
34. Pull out invasive plants in your yard or garden and replace them with native flora.
35. Turn off and unplug electronics that are not being used, including your computer.
36. Turn off lights when you leave a room.
37. Install solar panels.
38. Take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy (and get exercise!).
39. Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer to reduce your carbon footprint by >907 kilograms.
40. Lower the temperature on your water heater.
41. Contact your utility company and find out about renewable energy options.
42. Use energy-efficient appliances and electronics.
43. Recycle batteries from small appliances and your electronics. Use rechargeable batteries instead!