Earth Month: Small Changes You Can Make To Help Protect The Planet

Posted by Alisha

How often do you stop and think about your impact on planet Earth? The choices we make every day are reflected in the world around us.

Because caring for our planet shouldn’t be confined to only Earth Day (April 22), the entire month of April has been designated as Earth Month.

Earth Month reminds us of our impact on the environment and inspires us to take action to protect and restore our planet for future generations.

In honor of Earth Month, we’ve rounded up a list of simple ways you can do your part to make a positive difference for the environment.   

How Can You Make A Difference This Earth Month?

Saving the planet sounds like a huge task but small actions multiplied by millions of people can add up to a big impact. Here are five easy ideas to help you do your part:

1.   Do less laundry. Not only will washing clothes less often save water and energy, it helps them last longer, too. And spending less time sorting and folding laundry means you’ll have more free time to do what you love.

Yes, this does mean you need to wear your clothes more than once. Many shirts can go three wears before washing when worn with an undershirt. Sure, that t-shirt that you dribbled ketchup on should be washed right away. But overall, your clothes probably aren’t as dirty as you think. When in doubt, do a sniff test.

2.   Use a programmable thermostat. About six percent of all the electricity produced in the U.S. is consumed by air conditioners. This results in over 117 million metric tons of carbon dioxide being released into the air every year.

Simply adjusting your thermostat can make a big difference in the amount of energy used in your home. Setting a programmable thermostat to turn back 7-10 degrees for eight hours a day can save as much as 10 percent on your electric bill. Sure, you can do this manually but who needs one more thing to remember? Just set it and forget it.

3.   Go LED. According to Energy.gov, widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the U.S. Compared to traditional incandescent lighting, LED lighting uses at least 75 percent less energy and lasts 25 times longer. Energy-efficient OttLite LED lighting is rated to last 40,000 hours. This means that if used for 3 hours a day, OttLite LED light bulbs will last for more than 35 years!

When it comes to LED lamps, there are tons of choices on the market today. For the ultimate LED lighting experience, make sure to choose natural daylight LEDs.

In addition to being energy efficient, OttLite’s natural daylight LED lamps meet strict standards for color temperature, brightness and light output. OttLite Wellness Series LED lamps like The Renew LED Desk Lamp can even help you see in a healthier way with less eyestrain and glare.

Learn more about what to look for in LED lighting here.

4.   Upgrade your showerhead. Depending on the age of your showerhead, a 10-minute shower will use 25 gallons of water (or more) with a standard showerhead. Swap out your old showerhead for a new low-flow showerhead and you could save at least 5-10 gallons of water on that 10-minute shower, plus you’ll use less energy since you’re heating less water. By lowering water and energy bills, your new low-flow showerhead will pay for itself quickly.

For best results in water efficiency, choose a low-flow WaterSense labeled showerhead with a flow rate of 2.0 gpm or less.

Not sure of the flow rate of your existing showerhead? Try this quick and easy showerhead test to determine whether you should replace yours.

5.   Think twice before throwing things away. So much of what we throw away and contribute to landfills could be reused, especially if you love crafting or have crafty kids!

Instead of tossing beer bottle caps in the trash, start saving them to make these DIY resin beer bottle cap coasters. They make a perfect homemade gift for Father’s Day!

Want more ideas for reusing everyday items? Check out this great idea for repurposing potato chip bags into gift bags and more ways to upcycle trash into useful things at Trash Backwards.

Do you have any great ideas for reusing everyday materials? What small changes have you made at home to help protect the environment? Share your tips and ideas with us on Facebook!

 





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