Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22nd, but how exactly did it come to be? For a long time, people were working and causing major harm to the environment with no repercussions. There just wasn’t a lot of information out there on the harm these practices were having on the Earth, especially in the long term.
However, all of this changed when Senator Gaylord Nelson entered the picture. He was a junior senator in Wisconsin, USA, and had large concerns about the impact people and businesses were having on the world. Then one day, in January of 1969, there was a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
This sparked Nelson to host a teach-in on college campuses, all about the impact we were having on the environment. He chose the day April 22nd, as it was a day in between Spring Break and Final Exams, ensuring a large turnout of students. The event then grew in media coverage and reached a wide number of Americans across the US. It then went global in 1990 due to further media coverage. Ever since, each year on April 22nd, the world comes together to celebrate Earth Day.
Here are some things you can do for the Earth to celebrate Earth Day this year.
1. Turn off the lights
So many people have the bad habit of leaving unnecessary lights on at home, or even at work. Get yourself in the mindset of when leaving a room, turn the light off behind you. These lights emit carbon dioxide emissions, which have an extremely harmful impact on the environment. Also, try utilising natural light if possible, or lamps as they’re usually lower wattage and have less impact than ceiling lights.
2. Be water conscious
Water may seem like something we have a lot of access to, but in reality, only 0.5% of the Earth’s water is fresh and drinkable, so it should be saved as much as possible. You can be wary of the amount of water you waste through a few simple tasks such as turning the tap off when brushing your teeth, installing a dual flush system in your toilet to save water when flushing, or taking shorter showers.
3. Volunteer
A great way to spend Earth Day is by volunteering for an eco-friendly organisation. This can be many things, such as picking up litter in your local area, planting a tree, or at an animal sanctuary helping wildlife. These places can always use extra help.
4. Recycle
If this isn’t already something you do every day, consider implementing a recycling system in your home or place of work. It’s simple and majorly effective. Grab yourself a second rubbish bin, and place recyclables into there instead, you’ll be able to find on the outside of most packaging whether something is able to be recycled or not.
5. Walk or cycle for the day
Cars have a major harmful impact on the environment in different ways. They use fuel, derived from oil, which is non-renewable. They are also a contributor to air pollution and emit greenhouse gases. So, for Earth Day, consider either taking public transport, walking, or cycling if you can. This is one of the best ways to help the environment.
6. Shop eco-friendly
Fast fashion has been on the rise and is causing extreme effects on the environment. Not only does the making of these clothes require a lot of energy and cause pollution, but a lot of the items are ending up in landfills as fashion trends fade or as a result of the item not being made to a high standard, thus not lasting very long. Instead of doing this, be mindful of the clothes you’re buying. Only buy high-quality pieces which you love and know will last you a long time. Try also investing in sustainably made items - especially from recycled or organic kinds of cotton.
We hope this list has given you a few ways to have less of an impact on the environment in celebration of Earth Day this year. To shop sustainably made luxury socks, click here.
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