With Earth Day right around the corner, it's time to make your Earth Day resolutions. What is an Earth Day resolution you may ask? It is a promise to yourself, and the earth, to work on decreasing the detrimental impact you as an individual have on the earth. Everyone contributes to the pollution and destruction of our planet and everyday another species becomes endangered, the seas get more polluted and the climate inches towards warmer temperatures accelerated by human actions. Due to this, it is up to us to help to reverse and lessen the destruction that we are putting on the place we call home. Now, I know that the concept of an Earth Day resolution is a little novel. So here are some things that I do to get you started!
1. Get a reusable water bottle to decrease the amount of plastic being wasted and thrown into landfills. Additionally it would save energy as, "The energy we waste using bottled water would be enough to power 190,000 homes."
2. Start a compost as, "Over 60 percent of what we put in our landfills is organic waste, such as food scraps." Compost has a fairly quick turnover and produces great soil for gardening as well!
3. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Get into the habit of carrying one in your car with you, or keeping one in your dorm. Also, many grocery stores give you a few cents off for bringing your own bags. Just make sure to wash them once in awhile to prevent sickness from food bacteria.
4. Get a reusable k-cup pod instead of using the disposable k-cups as, "The best estimates say the Keurig pods buried in 2014 would actually circle the Earth not 10.5 times, but more than 12."
5. Use reusable containers for lunch and reusable lunch boxes/brown paper bags.
6. Recycle you paper and plastics! For college students, I know this is hard, but designate a bag for papers and plastics and then when they get full walk them to the local recycling bin to discard them.
7. Consider eating less meat and consuming less animals products. I'm not saying cut them out completely, but according to PETA, "A staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture..."
8. Try to avoid buying coffee that comes in disposable cups. Some coffee franchises like Starbucks encourage and will serve you your coffee in your personal reusable Tumblr.
9. If space and weather permit, dry your clothes on a line outside.
10. Get/make a rain barrel to collect rainwater in order to water your garden, houseplants, or even rinse off feet after a day at the beach.
