Back in 1970, the first Earth Day started what we know today as the modern environmental movement. People of all ages mobilized across the country to put our environment’s health firmly on the national agenda.
Today’s pressing environmental issues, including global warming, pollution, deforestation, and vanishing species, demand serious attention on an international scale. Yet now — more than ever before — we as individuals have the power to make small changes that, added together, can have tremendous impact. From the products we buy to the transportation we use, and even the foods we eat, the choices we make can preserve the Earth’s health and, in turn, take care of our own.
 Know your plastic
Most plastic packages and containers carry a code inside the familiar “chasing arrows” to indicate what type of material they contain. The most commonly recycled types are #1 PET and #2 HDPE — but there are 7 types of consumer-recyclable plastic. If you’re buying plastic, give preference to products and packages made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Make sure they’re imprinted with recycling codes, and be sure to recycle them when you’re done! To find a recycling or reuse facility in your area, try the searchable recycler database at Earth911.org.
 Change a bulb
Compact fluorescent bulbs are as bright as incandescents, but they use only 1/3 the energy. Changing just 1 bulb in every household in the US would reduce air pollution as much as taking 1 million cars off the road for a year. You’ll find lots more ways to be energy efficient at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star website at www.energystar.gov.
 Reduce your water use
Fresh water is a precious resource, and the ways in which you use water make a big difference in how much you use. Taking a 10-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead saves you 1.5 gallons every minute over a conventional showerhead (that’s 15 gallons every shower); low-flow faucets and toilets can help you save even more. Even the foods we eat use different amounts of water in production and preparation — for example, your morning cup of coffee can account for as much as 37 gallons of water use, where a cup of tea can use just 9 gallons from cultivation to cup. See more fascinating water use facts on Good Magazine’s “Walk This Way” water footprint chart.
 Turn it down
Turning down your heater thermostat by just one degree saves a lot of money — and over 800 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Washing your laundry in cold water saves money and still gets it sparkling clean. People around the world are creating opportunities to “think cool” with energy-saving choices. Check out Global Cool’s site at www.globalcool.org.
 Buy paper products made from post-consumer recycled material
Recycling saves trees and forest ecosystems, sequesters the heavy metals in inks and keeps them out of the general waste stream, saves landfill space, produces jobs, saves water and energy, and generates far fewer greenhouse gases than virgin paper production. Purchasers of recycled paper help create a market for recycled paper and incentives for the recovery of post-consumer paper; currently, the amount of office paper recycled in the US is a pitiful 20 percent. The Environmental Defense Fund’s Paper Calculator can show you how your paper choices matter.
 Use green energy
Energy production from fossil fuels produces huge amounts of pollution. Renewable energy sources, like wind, water, and solar, can produce energy with far less environmental impact. Call your local utility about switching your power to certified renewable sources. To learn more about verifiable green energy, visit the Center for Resource Solutions’ Green-e program at www.green-e.org.
 Offset your own footprint
Creating some carbon dioxide is unavoidable. The Personal Climate Change Calculator at the American Forests website, www.americanforests.org, lets you calculate your personal carbon dioxide emissions and offers a way to offset the CO2 you can’t eliminate by planting trees that will absorb it. Since 1999, Earthbound Farm has planted trees with American Forests every year to offset greenhouse gas emissions from our energy use. To date, we’ve planted more than 500,000 trees, which will absorb about 170,000 tons of CO2 during their lifetimes.
To learn more about Earth Day and ways in which people all over the world are taking action to protect the environment, visit the Earth Day Network.
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