6 Tips for Staying Sustainable at Home on Earth Day
If you’re reading this on 22nd April 2020, that means that the first ever Earth Day was exactly 50 years ago. But what does this mean and why are people coming together across the world to celebrate? Laurence Denyer, Data Support Officer at Salix Finance, tells us more.
All those years ago, during what many consider to be the birth of the modern environmental movement in the US, the Earth Day Network began to grow. Now, the network has spread its roots across the globe, promoting the power of diversity and education, with the purpose of inspiring positive climate action. Earth Day is now celebrated in over 190 countries each year, raising awareness of the importance of caring for our planet.
Although you may feel limited due to being stuck at home, now is the perfect opportunity to consider how simple changes to your lifestyle could help to protect our planet. If you’ve found yourself with time to spare, why not try out some of the following tips, which will make a lasting impression, benefiting yourself and the world around you.
The following tips might bring you a smile, or even become long-term habits that you can integrate into your daily life ready for the next Earth Day.
Without further ado, here are our 6 tips for staying sustainable at home:
1. Re-grow vegetables that you would otherwise throw away
I personally can’t believe how easy this was to do. Most shop-bought vegetables can be regrown by cutting off the bottom of the stem and placing this into a small tray of water. After a couple of weeks, they can then be transferred to soil where they will continue to grow. The same can be done with cuttings from most herbs. If you’re unsure on where to start, there are plenty of YouTube videos to help you along the way, such as this.
Just to prove it is possible, in true Blue Peter style, “Here’s one I made earlier”.
2. Support and buy local
When you do buy food to top up your freshly grown home supplies, try to support independent businesses offering local produce. If you end up with any leftovers or surplus produce, be sure to offer this to your neighbours. As well as reducing waste, buying local can help to cut your carbon footprint. On top of this, you’ll get to know the community better and raise spirits in a testing time.
3. Only switch on lights when you need them
In addition to saving energy, being near to natural light will benefit your wellbeing and could boost vitamin D if you’re able to sit by an open window during warmer weather - take care to protect yourself from the sun.
4. Upcycle and express your creativity
Whether it's knitting, crochet, stitching, repurposing furniture or upcycling old clothes, learning how we can make better use of what we already have is vital if your goal is to become fully sustainable.
5. Understand the Earth
Educate both yourself and those around you by taking the time to learn more about the science behind climate change. There are plenty of free resources available at the moment, including the National Emergency Library, a temporary collection of books to support learning while institutions such as libraries are closed.
6. Go online
Plenty more information on how you can get involved in Earth Day can be found online, by clicking here.
Let us know what you’re doing to celebrate Earth Day by tagging #EarthDay50 and @SalixFinance on Twitter.