April is here! Get those rain boots out because, I don't know if you've heard, but there seem to be a lot of showers in April. At least that's what May says. But what's also in April is a very important day -- April 22 to be exact. Earth Day.
First of all, if you are one of those "global warming doesn't exist" people, then we might not get along in this particular article. You've been warned.
To kick things off, there are so many things we can do to help big mama:
Earth on this year's fine Earth Day. Light switches were invented for a reason: to turn lights on and off. Lights are not meant to be left on forever, ladies and gentlemen. That defeats the purpose of the light switch. Whoever invented the light switch would be disappointed at its lack of use. To put a number on it, the U.S. used up 858,351 short tons of coal in 2013 for lighting, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and we are heating up the atmosphere in the process. How a short ton differs from a regular, large, slightly smaller, or petite ton, I have no clue, but it's a lot! Santa needs coal for bad children every year, how about we save some for him, eh?
After we have our root beer floats and mixed drinks, we have to make sure everything goes to the right place. The yummies go to our tummies and the trash goes to the.... ocean? Wrong. Blue trash containers were not created to look slightly better than black trash containers. They were made to say "Hey! Recycle!"
Thousands and thousands of bottles, cans and other plastic cartons get tossed into the ocean each year. Do you think Nemo appreciates that? He just fought his way back to the Big Blue and to his family, for what? To get caught in plastic wrap or have his coral home be overthrown by beer cans? C'mon, help a fishy brother out. We cannot forget about our land animal amigos, either. We have to keep the forests crisp and clean for Bambi and friends. As much as I loved the movie WALL-E, it would behoove all of us to keep that story from coming a reality, for in WALL-E, Bambi and friends bite the dust.
We are all capable of giving back on Earth Day. Since mother Earth does not charge us rent, lending a helping hand wouldn't hurt. Rejuvenate a garden, clean up a park, plant a tree, hug a tree, tell other people to hug trees, spread the word! If everyone picked up just one stray soda can, bottle, or wrapper on the street every day, it would do wonders for the environment. The leaves on the towering trees of all forests and the endless rolling hills of grass are pretty sights. Let's keep them around. The oceans contain exquisite ecosystems that are not just for show even though they are beautiful.
The Earth has loved us by giving us these worldly wonders. Let's give a little love back and make sure they are here to stay.
