Earth Day April 22 – Invest in our Planet

Earth Day, April 22 -8 steps

Earth Day originated in 1970 after Sen. Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin witnessed the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. He hoped it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. It did lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the passage of the Clean Air Act and a dialogue on a host of issues.

The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest In Our Planet. What Will You Do?   The site has “52 Ways to Invest in our Planet” https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-tips/    We have invested in our planed with Shred-It. The 10th Shred-It scheduled May 11, the same day as the Village Dinner

1  Plant more trees.

Canopy project – For every $1 donated a tree gets planted The Canopy Project partners with groups around the world to ensure that your donation sustainably plants trees for a greener future for everyone.  This charity has a four star rating on Charity Navigator.  https://donate.earthday.org/donate_to_the_canopy_project

Locally. Tree Fredericksburg has planted 7,500 trees in the city since its founding in 2008  https://treefredericksburg.org  They have a donation project to donate free trees to individuals or business.  Tree Fredericksburg always needs volunteers

2. Conservation landscaping

Also, Virginia provides financial incentives to help with environmental issues on your property.  The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is an urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives and technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Virginia’s participating Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). 

These practices can be installed in areas of your yard where problems like erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation occur. This website provides more information.  https://vaswcd.org/vcap

Examples  include conservation landscaping to create a diverse landscape that helps to protect clean air and water and support wildlife. A part of this is planting more native plants   https://vaswcd.org/conservation-landscaping .  Native plants do not require fertilizer, use less water than lawns and help prevent erosion

3  Help with a clean-up.   Cleanups outside reduce waste and plastic pollution, improve habitats, prevent harm to wildlife and humans and even lead to larger environmental action. It’s out there – let’s get rid of it!   No community cleanup is scheduled in the spring. Is it worth considering for this area ? The Earth Day site has tips – https://www.earthday.org/your-first-cleanup-what-to-know-and-expect-15-tips-for-first-time-volunteers

4 The Virginia Bottle Bill Organization supporting a bottle bill for Virginia  “Passing a Bottle Bill in Virginia would greatly reduce beverage container litter ensuring the recycling and reuse of containers while also reducing carbon emissions and the negative impact on the environment. A bottle bill that includes a return incentive and curbside recycling has been shown to reduce litter and on average ensures 80% of bottles in circulation are recycled or reused.  – https://www.vabottlebill.org

Look also inside your home. For a day or more, compile all of your packaging and food waste, and then take a hard look at what you have: Is there a lot of plastic? Are any of your food scraps compostable? Are your leftovers stored in plastic or glass containers?

5. Create less food waste –

The biggest proportion of food waste — about 37 percent, according to the nonprofit ReFED — happens in the home. 

What to do –  Keep a list of what food you have on hand and organize the refrigerator so you can keep track of what’s inside. Some people find it helpful to label things with the date they were purchased or cooked. Others have a system in which the oldest items go on the top shelf, so they will reach for those items first. 

Look also inside your home Are any of your food scraps compostable? Are your leftovers stored in plastic or glass containers? 

6. Replace a portion of your grass with plants

There are an estimated 40 million to 50 million acres of lawn in the continental United States — that’s nearly as much as all of the country’s national parks combined. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, maintaining those lawns consumes nearly 3 trillion gallons of water a year, as well as 59 million pounds of pesticides, which can seep into our land and waterways.

Replacing grass with plants is among the most important ways to keep a yard eco-friendly. Laying down mulch is an easy place to start. It quickly kills grass and offers a blank canvas for planting.

7. Save coral reefs by packing smartly for your beach vacation

Skip sunscreens and toiletries that contain oxybenzone and other chemicals and opt for mineral-based products instead. And remember to pack a reusable water bottle, utensils and bag, so you can avoid single-use plastic.

8. Weatherize your home

According to the Energy Department, 25 to 30 percent of household heating and cooling is lost through windows. You can first identify leakage points by turning on your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans, creating a slight pressure differential between indoors and outdoors, then holding up a lit incense stick to potential problem areas. If the smoke wavers or blows in one direction, there’s a draft that needs fixing. Use weatherstripping to insulate windows and install a sweep to the bottom of exterior doors.