Did you know that April 22nd marks the 52nd Earth Day? This is a day to enjoy our planet and consider ways to better take care of it. Beyond the obvious conserving of electricity, water and gas, what is your Earth Day IQ? What simple changes are you willing to make in order to help preserve our world? How much do you really know about recycling? Here are a few ideas and articles you might find helpful.
Cancel catalog subscriptions that you are no longer interested in receiving and sign-up for paperless billing. Opt for reusable shopping and produce bags or recycle the plastic kind in a designated bin at the grocery store. To protect your skin and the oceanic eco system use “Reef Safe” sunscreen when swimming in the ocean.
Another thought is to consider incorporating drought tolerant plants such as Columbine, Bee Balm, and Penstemon into your garden. These plants use less water, produce colorful blossoms, and attract pollinators. More options can be found at: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/drought-tolerant-pollinator-plants.htm.
All gardens love compost. Making your own is easier than you might think if you know what to include and what to avoid adding. Newspapers, wet cardboard, coffee or tea grounds, and raw fruit and vegetable trimmings are excellent compost materials. To learn more about composting check out: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/gardening-advice/a568195/how-to-make-good-compost-heap/. If making your own compost isn’t for you, there are companies that pick up your compostable materials and return it in a garden ready form.
Materials that can’t be composted can often be recycled. The top three most recyclable household materials are clean glass, aluminum, and paper. Plastic is a tricky material when it comes to recycling. There are several types of plastics, and they must be recycled differently. Unfortunately, recycling is not straight-forward, but educating ourselves on the issue is easy. This article clears up a lot of the confusion: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/04/04/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-plastic-and-recycling/
Humans are guilty of harming, and responsible for repairing Earth. Exercise your Earth Day IQ every day, and celebrate the amazing planet we live on by taking care of it.
