tomorrow is earth day, a day which deserves more appreciation and attention on account of our planet's decline. global warming is ever present, and if you live in california like me, you can see the effects as clear as day.
much of our media will do what they can to avert our attention from persistent threats to our planet's livelihood and onto trivial topics such as the kardashians or twitter drama between feuding pop stars.
here are some things you could do that would help us immensely in the preservation of earth (:
1. RECYCLING
i'm sure we have all heard this one a million times but the fact is that we still need to remind ourselves and each other of this simple act. it is so important that you place any recyclable material apart from trash, and into a separate bin or pile.
and please please please when you go shopping, try to avoid foam and plastic bags, opt for paper or even bring your own bag to save these resources, it would help out so much and is a really easy thing to do !!
and if you live in a home without a recycling bin or even a designated area for recyclable materials, please try to find a resolution to this swiftly, or if you see someone discarding an empty water bottle or even cardboard, please pick it up so that you could recycle it!
and for those of you in school who cut paper or use good amounts of paper, instead of throwing out even the smallest written on scraps of paper, please do what you can to get them to a recycling bin, because even your tiniest scraps could be reused.
2. REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
this one may be tougher,
especially in our daily lives, but even walking to places nearby you or taking a bike or scooter or skateboard would be so generous towards our planet and atmosphere.
and even public transportation would be a better alternative than your own vehicle adding to our planet's pollution, such as the bus or a train.
3. WATER CONSERVATION
this one is particularly important for those of us who reside in california. this drought is no joke and it needs to be taken seriously. if we are not careful, many greatly populated cities could have to be abandoned in the future and become inhabitable. our lakes and bodies of water are drying out, you can see the lines of where familiar bodies of water used to be.
plus, california is super important in the world's agricultural system. without it we would be loosing major suppliers of so many fruits and vegetables and nuts we eat so commonly in our daily lives and prices of the remaining supply would increase dramatically.
this drought is on track to be the costliest natural disaster in the united states and it has been going on since 2010.
things like the ice bucket challenge and extensive water balloon fights or pouring water over yourself after a sports event are not a good idea if you live in or in the states surrounding california, such as nevada and arizona.
also, watering your front lawn or planting flowers or plants which require plenty of water is not a good idea either. planting cacti or succulents which only require water once a week at the most would be a much kinder alternative to our water conservation effort.
and try to avoid taking baths or long showers if you can, it wastes lots of clean water that can used for more important services.
4. GETTING INVOLVED
by taking part or learning about organizations such as unicef or the go green foundation you can provide a great deal of assistance for yourself and your community.
a wonderful opportunity for us to be active in the unicef tap project. for every fifteen minutes you put down your phone, a gallon of clean, drinking water is sent to families in africa who lack such an essential resource.
be active in the preservation of our planet and help out however you can, whether it be simple acts such as opting for paper over plastic or unplugging appliances to conserve energy during the day or larger ones such as beginning a green club in your school or beginning recycling programs or helping to clean soiled bodies of water or land in your area. any help that you can provide is immensely appreciated and i promise it will not go to waste (:
❝ as the nation at last faces global warming, it is no time for denial, greed, cynicism or pessimism. ❞
— bernie sanders