By Isabella Deza, Alliance Intern from George Mason University
It’s Earth Month so let’s celebrate by making healthier, more sustainable choices in our lives. Thanks to Tree Hugger for suggesting 30 ways (one for each day of the month) we can make a difference. Here are 5 to get you started:
Unsubscribe from 5 unwanted emails – Your inbox and carbon footprint will be leaner if you can get into this habit and unsubscribe as you go. Every newsletter generates around 10 grams of CO2, and only around 10% of newsletters are ever opened.
Put a politician on speed dial – If you’re interested in pushing for system change, put your elected officials’ office numbers in your phone. Then, whenever there’s a piece of environment-related policy up for a vote, it’s easy to give them a call and advocate for sustainability.
Save all your garbage for a day – According to the EPA, we each generate 4.9 pounds of municipal solid waste a day. Grab a bag, and instead of using a garbage bin, put your daily trash in the bag. You can put food scraps in a compost bin and recyclables in the recycling bin. At the end of the day, consider the trash that you would be sending to the landfill and think about ways you might be able to lessen it.
Remember your local library – Readers often ask what’s greener, a paper book or an e-book? Our answer may surprise you: Neither! The greenest book is one that is read by many, namely, one that comes from a library. Consider making a visit soon.
Learn about Swedish dishcloths – Even the most stalwart greenies may long for the convenience of paper towels, but reusable Swedish dishcloths put those longings to rest once and for all. Each cloth is wildly absorbent, can be washed 50 times, and saves you 17 rolls of paper towels! Treehugger editors swear by them.