Earth Day 2021 centers on the big picture: Restoring Our Earth. This year, Earth Day founders are encouraging the public to focus on climate action.
Last year tied 2016 as the warmest year on record at 1.84 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 1951-1980 mean baseline temperature. Specialists predict that intense heating and cooling temperatures will continue if changes aren’t made quickly.
Unpredictable climates have been trending over the past decade and have become more intense as climate change starts to take a toll on our planet.
There are a lot of ways you can participate in Earth Day this year, bringing attention to climate change through positive actions!
- Go paperless: Save our trees and prevent pollution by unsubscribing to physical paper articles, newspapers, magazines or catalogs. Go the green route by subscribing to digital platforms and participating in paperless options whenever possible. And as an added bonus, you’ll save space on your coffee table by moving to electronic options for reading!
- Thrift: Reduce and reuse your old items, especially your wardrobe. Clothing is one of the major causes of pollution worldwide with fast fashion contributing more than 10% of annual global emissions and 85% of textiles ending up in landfills after a year’s use. Shop your own closet and making something new to wear!
- Install a “Foodprint” calculator: Do daily checkups to see how much of an impact your meals have on the environment. Excessive food packaging, meat production, and single use products have major negative effects on landfills, greenhouse gas emissions, and our storm drains. Make it fun by asking a few friends to join in! Share your favorite Meatless Monday recipes with each other and check in with each other each week to track your progress
- Buy local: Not only does this help local producers, it also prevents unnecessary packaging and shipping, and may even save you money in the long run. Take a break from the regular store and stop by the weekend farmer’s markets or join a farm share delivery service to try fun local foods!
- Teach our keiki: One of the best ways to spread awareness about climate action and change is by educating our youth. Lead by example around keiki by showing them how to be sustainable and Protect Our Water. Show your keiki our Hawaii Storm Patrol learning modules to learn more about what they (and you) can do to help prevent storm water pollution!
Source: www.earthday.org.