Earth Day is coming up this Friday, April 22nd. This is one of my favorite days of the year because there is a collective appreciation for our beautiful planet. Wouldn’t it be nice if this reverence for mother nature happened on every day of the year?

Here are a few ways we can practice Earth Day every day: 

1. Conserve energy: turn off lights and electronics when not in use, light candles instead of having lights on, bike/walk/carpool instead of driving.

2. Reduce paper waste: visit optoutprescreen.com to unsubscribe from junk mail, choose online billing whenever possible, and switch to e-books or audio books. If you prefer physical books, go to the library, shop at used book stores, or do a book exchange with friends.

3. Recycle electronics: there are several free resources where we can take our old computers, tablets, and phones, to be properly recycled. This saves space in landfills and reduces pollution.

4. Turn off the faucet: Whether we’re brushing our teeth, washing dishes, or taking a shower, let’s turn off the water when it’s not needed. 2.2 gallons of water come out of the faucet every minute! Let’s also only run full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine.

5. Buy local: when we buy our food at the farmers market and shop at local businesses, we reduce shipping distances/emissions and support our local economy.

6. Replace single-use items: metal straws instead plastic straws, reusable totes instead of plastic/paper bags, wax wrap or stasher bags instead of cling wrap/sandwich bags, wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, thermoses and reusable water bottles instead of coffee cups and plastic water bottles.

7. Go on a trash walk: if we bring a reusable bag with us each time we go for a walk, we can collect the trash we see along the way. Personally, this is my favorite way to take care of our planet!

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Earth Day every day?