Making a Difference on Earth Day

We all know about Earth Day. We love it, it feels good to participate and it’s a great opportunity to talk with kids & charges about recycling, littering, planting trees and energy conservation.

Did you know that Earth Day was the first modern environmental movement for the U.S.? Think about all of the positive impacts Earth Day has initiated, in just over 40 years! The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson after witnessing the consequences of the massive 1969 oil spill of the coast of Santa Barbara, California. This event caused a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, business owners and laborers. By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day went global, with 200 million people participating in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Today, Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year, and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.

Every little bit of positive change helps. Let’s teach the children in our lives to consciously & deliberately make decisions that benefit the environment every day. The suggestions below are some simple ways that you can minimizing climate change pollution for your household while also saving money on your utility bill. After all, cutting electricity waste means we don’t need to rely on as may fossil fuel-burning power plants, which are America’s largest source of climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions.

1. Buy LED light bulbs. Why use 60 watts for the everyday light bulb with when an LED light fixture uses 10 watts to produce the same amount of light? And LED lights last many times longer, reducing the need to replace blown incandescents.
2. Adjust your TV’s settings by turning the Auto Brightness Control on, and Quick Start off. If you have a few extra seconds to wait while your TV turns on, you’ll only use 0.3 watts instead of 20 watts with quick start.
3. Wash clothes in cold water and use the fastest spin speed available. Now you’ll avoid having to heat the 15 plus gallons of water use per load, and spinning the clothes longer & faster means that they’ll require a lot less time (and energy) in your dryer.

BayAreaEarthDay.org  has an extensive list of Bay Area activities and events on their website.  Check them out!Just type in “Earth Day” and you’ll find enough opportunities to fill your entire day!