Every Day is Earth Day

In the year 1970, the Earth Day movement began as a way to demonstrate support and promote awareness for environmental protection. April 22, 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day Network (EDN), the organizing body for Earth Day worldwide, has also announced that the theme of Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth.” This theme is especially apt seeing how the world has experienced a worldwide pandemic collectively and is in urgent need of coming together as well as working together as a global family to address other global issues.

This theme puts all of us in a place where we are made aware of how our environment has become damaged to the point that it needs restoration. It also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how our actions have radically impacted the world. On the bright side, the idea of restoration brings hope that we can re-prioritize what matters most and make vital changes that will protect the future of our planet Earth.

In view of the upcoming Earth Day and its theme, there are a few things we can do to contribute to the well being of our Earth:

1. Reassess Our Power Consumption

Understanding where power is consumed in your household is an important first step as it will give you an idea on how you can save electricity and conserve energy. Subsequently, you can become more energy-efficient by adapting a more energy-conscious lifestyle.

For instance, you can opt for energy efficient alternatives when purchasing light bulbs or other electric appliances. When sourcing for light bulbs, it is good to note that halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) use 25-80% less electricity and last 3-25 times longer than traditional bulbs. When purchasing electric appliances, pay attention to two numbers: the initial purchase price and the annual operating cost. Although energy-efficient appliances may come with a higher upfront purchase price, their operating cost are often 9-25% lower than conventional models.

2. Be Educated And Educate

In order to walk the talk, you must first be educated on the issues affecting your own community. Staying up to date on environmental news, reading books and other resources, and learning how you can make a change are some of the ways you can gain a more thorough and deep understanding on environmental issues.

Once you’ve found an environmental issue that you’re passionate about and committed to see change, you can start conversations with your circle of influence to promote awareness towards said issue. When the conversations get going, you can share your knowledge and even start beneficial projects within your community. Besides your co-workers, neighbours, friends and family, it is also important to educate the younger generation to do the same.

3. Go Solar

There simply is no denying the heavy dependence on fossil fuels to meet the global energy demands. According to the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) survey, only 21 cities reported that they use no fossil fuels to produce electricity while another 15 cities say less than 10% of their power comes from fossil fuels. The keyword here is “cities”. This goes to show how fossil fuels have, and continue to, play a dominant role in global energy systems.

To tackle this issue, switching to green energy would be ideal in terms of reducing the combustion of fossil fuels. Renewable energy like wind and solar is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint.