Suzanne Karioki

We’ve celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd since 1970, and the event has grown in size and scope every year since. With 2020 bringing the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, organizers are gearing up for the biggest, most ambitious celebration yet. This year, we have a few tips for reducing your carbon footprint.

Eat Less Red Meat
Meat and dairy production are some of the biggest contributors to climate change: livestock take up 83% of the world’s farmland,and it takes a lot of corn and soy (grown using another enormous amount of land and pesticides) to keep them fed. Going meatless even just one day a week can cut back on these environmental stressors – not to mention easing the stress on your wallet. Better yet, learn something new and try a few delicious vegan recipes.

Check What You Can Actually Recycle
You remembered to bring the recycling bin out on time, but are you doing more harm than good? Waste Management – the biggest waste collection and recycling company in the United States – estimates that 25% of the stuff in your average recycling bin cannot be recycled at all. Double check what your local facility accepts before you chuck another plastic bag in the bin.

Kill the Vampires
Standby mode is great when you can’t remember if you saved your game or not, but it can also take a bite out of your wallet, all while sucking the life out of the environment. And even if you remember to fully turn off your devices, if it’s plugged in, it’s still using power. Try plugging everything into a surge protector that you can just unplug whenever you leave the house, saving you the hassle of trying to find the countless remotes strewn around the room. For the stuff you can’t just constantly unplug (like your fridge), think about replacing it with a more efficient Energy Star approved appliance.

Catch the Bus
After the pleasant spring weather disappears, driving becomes more of a necessity than a luxury. But if you’re navigating the city, driving is kind of a nightmare. Consider taking a WRTA bus or commuter rail train. Sure, the maps look confusing and unintelligible at first, but it’s well-worth learning how this stuff works, especially now that Google Maps offers public transit routes. Bring a friend and make an adventure out of it.

Visit a Local Park
This isn’t about saving the environment as much as appreciating the outdoors. You’re not just unplugging your phone charger for your own health: it’s for the planet and another beautiful sunset tomorrow. Go out and appreciate it (while the weather’s good)!

Making small changes to your life might not seem like much, especially as news about climate change becomes dauntingly scary, but starting small is better than nothing at all.

For more tips on how to go green, check out earthday.org and look out for local Worcester events.