Earth Day 2008

Each year, April 22nd marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

 

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda."


On April 22,1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment.

 

This year, celebrate Earth Day by making a commitment to observe it's founding principles in your everyday life.  Very small changes to your day to day life can make a significant impact on the quality of life for future generations.

 

FACT:  Americans produce over 150 tons of trash in just one year.

How can you reduce the amount of waste you produce?

  • Sell or donate goods instead of throwing them out

 

  • Reuse newspaper, boxes, packaging "peanuts," and "bubble wrap" to ship packages. Brown paper bags are excellent for wrapping parcels.

 

  • Wash and reuse empty glass and plastic jars, milk jugs, coffee cans, dairy tubs, and other similar containers that otherwise get thrown out. These containers can be used to store leftovers as well as buttons, nails, and thumbtacks

 

  • Combine bags. When you're at the mall, don't get a new shopping bag for every item—combine bags or put them in your backpack. (And be sure to hold onto the receipt!)

 

  • Buy in bulk or multi-packs. Buying more items at once reduces packaging waste. You can also buy items with packaging that can be reused or recycled.

 

FACT: A family of four uses an avg. 400 gallons of water every day.

How can you reduce the amount of water you use?

  • Take showers instead of baths. A full bath tub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.

 

  • Turn it off! The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month!

 

  • Sweep driveways, sidewalks and steps rather than hosing off.

 

  • Wash the car with water from a bucket, or consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water.

 

  • When using a hose, control the flow with an automatic shut-off nozzle.