Earth Day is an amazing event, celebrated worldwide by about 500 million people. It is a great opportunity to remind ourselves that Earth is in our care and we should be gentler and show more appreciation to her. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day was the initiative of US Senator Gaylord Nelson, who was concerned with the level of degradation to our environment and its potential impact in the future. About 20 million people joined him on this very first event.
While being better on Earth Day is nice, it does not help if you stop after April 22nd. Here are a few small steps you can take to make sure you play your part in keeping your planet safe and clean.
Transportation – Whenever you can, choose trains over planes and the metro over gas consuming buses. It helps reduce pollution. Even better, ride a bike as often as you can, so you can save on electricity as well.
Paperless lifestyle – We all know traveling comes with a never-ending issue of space. Too much luggage is a hassle, so if you want to reduce the amount of stuff you need to carry and also help the environment, go paperless. Store a few hundred books on an e-reader, send emails and call instead of writing postcards, create online albums of your travel photos instead of printing them out.
Garbage – Wherever you go, you can still recycle! And you can always pick your garbage and take it to the nearest bin instead of living it there, ruining the pristine scenery.
Join others – if you stay longer in one place, find out if there are any environmental initiatives you could join, such as a local group cleaning a nearby beach.
Water and electricity are a luxury – we love them, we take them for granted, but they are expensive resources and producing more dirty water and wasting energy has never helped. Remember to unplug everything you don’t use, and take a 20 minute shower instead of spending over an hour with water pouring down on you.
Spreading the word – travelers are a tight community. Also a very large one, because the vast majority of people do like to travel. Sharing what each of us does on Earth Day and everyday to keep our planet clean will give others ideas and give them the necessary boost to do something about the state of the environment.
By Amey MyersAmey, an intrepid traveler and avid blogger, roams the world, absorbing diverse cultures, flavors, and experiences. Her writing captures the essence of her adventures, inspiring others to explore. Amey's infectious passion for travel and storytelling epitomizes a life filled with exploration and adventure.
