This Earth Day, we want to share a variety of simple tasks that anyone can add to their day-to-day routine to help improve the planet. Food is something we interact with all the time. If everyone can make small adjustments to how they acquire or consume their meals, think about the impactful differences we could make!
Here are some basic tips
Eliminate Plastic Bag Use
“Is plastic okay?” You can opt for paper in this situation (better than plastic), or you can bring in your own tote bags! Several grocery stores even offer discounts if you bring in your own bag. You can also bring in separate produce bags for fruits and veggies if desired.
Check Labels
Food producers can easily fool you with titles like “recyclable,” “biodegradable,” “eco-friendly,” or even by employing marketing tactics such as labeling their products using green colors! To help eliminate confusion, look for these certifications on your food or other products:
- Demeter Biodynamic
- Fair Trade Certified
- Food Alliance Certified
- Green Seal
- Forest Stewardship Council
- Rain Forest Alliance Certified
- Scientific Certification Systems
- Leaping Bunny
Diet Specifics
When deciding what to eat, considering vegan or plant-based options that avoid meat and dairy is an uncomplicated way to make an impact. The statistics involving food can be eye-opening. For example, the water consumed in the creation of a single cheeseburger is equivalent to five months of showering!
Additionally, opting for local products reduced carbon emissions while supporting community-based businesses!
Make One Trip a Week
By planning out your trips and weekly meals in advance, you can reduce food waste and carbon emissions from your drive. You also might find it is easier to eat healthier this way, as well.
Freeze Consumables
By freezing food items, you can save them for later and preserve them for longer. Things like bananas will not ripen as fast. Just thaw overnight when you are ready to eat them in the fridge and they are perfectly normal bananas for up to 3 months!
Compost food scraps:
When food is discarded into a garbage can, it is ultimately deposited into a landfill. Many foods naturally decompose and provide nutrients for soil. But in a landfill, this process is disrupted. Since the food scraps are unable to break down properly, they release methane into the air and sometimes cause trash fires.
Furthermore, if you are worried about attracting animals outside or live in an apartment, you can purchase several composting machines/buckets that fit right under your kitchen sink and do not smell.
Avoid “Wishful Recycling”:
Check items before you recycle them. Sometimes items labeled “recyclable” can only be processed at specialized facilities, and not available for recycling at your local municipal site. Conveniently, in Naples, Waste Management offers handy refrigerator magnets that help determine whether your product is recyclable locally.
When trying to live a more sustainable conscious existence, it can become very overwhelming. There are so many actions we could take, but they are not always realistic or affordable. Therefore, oftentimes people become discouraged in their attempt to be more eco-friendly. Ideally, these tips are small suggestions that, cumulatively, could have an incredible positive impact.
Earth Day is a powerful reminder of our obligation to respect the planet. Commitment to minor adjustments could evoke powerful, everlasting effects and dynamic change. Let us live in a way where our choices allow us to celebrate Earth Day every day.
Want to learn about more easy, sustainable practices?
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Kathryn Norris,
Creator of Help. Sincerely, the Earth
helpsincerelytheearth@gmail.com
Senior at Gulf Coast High School, Class of 2022
Attended University of Florida, starting in Fall 2022