Happy Earth Day everyone! I thought I’d celebrate it by sharing some ways you can help the environment. All of these can be done by anyone – though some might require more dedication than others. Whichever ways you are able to contribute to the planet’s well-being, I truly hope you consider them and take the action needed. We only get one planet in this lifetime, so it’s important to keep it healthy.

Refuse to use plastic straws

Human beings use about 500 million straws each day. In one year, the straws used can fill up 46,400 school buses. That is a ridiculous amount of plastic that we don’t really need to be putting into the environment. Simply refusing to use a straw is easy. Join the Be Straw Free Campaign at www.ecocycle.org/bestrawfree and pledge to enjoy your drinks strawless. If you love your straws too much, consider an alternative option and purchase a pack of reusable ones. 

Bring reusable bags with you to the grocery store

Whenever I go to store, I’m always surprised at the amount of people who don’t bring bags with them. This is probably due to the fact that I grew up surrounded by extremely environmentally conscious people. But seriously, don’t contribute to landfill when you can easily buy a reusable bag for $2. Just make sure to keep the bag in a place where you'll always remember to bring it with you. 

Reduce > Reuse > Recycle

Recycling is always a great option, however it’s even better to reuse things. And you know what’s better than that? Reducing your use of unnecessary plastic, waste, electricity, water, etc. The less that we consume, the better. I'm sure you've heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. For those of you who haven't, it's an island of trash located in the ocean. There are many different speculations for how big it is; ranging from the size of Texas to twice the size of the continental United States. Use less. I can't stress that enough.

Use less electricity

Turn off the lights when you’re not using them. There’s no need to keep the light on if it’s not directly benefitting anyone or absolutely necessary.

Bring a reusable cup to Starbucks

Everyone loves their Starbucks drinks. The store sells about 4 billion globally each year. That's a lot of plastic. Did you know that you can bring a reusable cup and they'll use that for your drink instead? If not, well now you know. Starbucks even sells reusable cups that you can purchase. It's simple, it will cost an extra $10 - $15 and it's just another way you can contribute to the environment's health.

Eat less meat

Alright, so this one is extremely controversial and I’m sure some people are going to think, “Who does this person think she is telling us to change our diets???” I’ve been a vegetarian since I was five-years-old and when I first heard this idea, I thought it was crazy too. However, I’ve done a lot of research into this topic and thanks to TIME Magazine and PETA, here are a few facts to keep in mind:

• If everyone switched to vegetarianism, emissions could be cut down by 63% - 70%.
• $1 trillion could be saved each year.
• Each minute, land the size of seven football fields is bulldozed to accommodate animals and the crops to feed them.
• One pig can consume twenty-one gallons of water per day.
• On average, it takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.
• The production of two pounds of beef is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than driving a car for three hours.
• If everyone went vegetarian, the United States would save $258.6 billion by 2050. If the entire world became vegetarian, $1,483.8 billion would be saved.

Not only would vegetarianism benefit the environment, but it also benefits personal health. Do a little research and I can guarantee that you’ll find the information to back that statement up. I know this is a lot to ask, but please just consider it. There are many meat substitutes out there that taste the exact same (so I’ve been told). If you really cannot live without meat, consider cutting down on it. Try to eat a plant-based diet 1-2 days per month. It’s the little things that add up to create change. If you have any questions about getting enough protein and nutrients, feel free to contact me and I can give you more information.

Spread awareness

If everyone goes about thinking that the planet is perfectly fine and climate change doesn’t exist (*coughs*), then nothing will be improved. If you can spread a little awareness about climate change, that’d be great. Everyone needs to take small steps towards curing the environment and together we can create a larger movement. This is our home. We want it to remain healthy and beautiful. So please, spread the word and get out there to create positive change. Let's preserve energy, save the endangered animals, cut down on waste and make this planet an even better place to live.

Remember to always: