Happy Earth Day YENSA muses!
What is Earth Day?
The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22nd, 1970. Each year, the Earth Day theme changes. The theme for Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth, which is intended to be a reminder that while we want to protect our planet, we all also need a healthy Earth to support our lives, health, and survival. A Senator from Wisconsin first came up with the idea for Earth Day; Senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired by Vietnam War protesters and thought to make his own grassroots movement for environmental conservation. It was planned for April 22nd so that a maximum number of college students might be on Spring Break and be able to participate.
Here at YENSA, we celebrate Earth Day every day by doing our best to contribute to green practices that help conserve resources. In addition to being 100% recyclable, we’re always on the lookout for newer and more sustainable packaging options that we can switch over to.
Here are some tips on how you can give back to the Earth too!
- Never leave the house without your refillable water bottle.
- Invest in a Brita or water filter.
- Use reusable tote bags when grocery shopping.
- Shop sustainable brands and choose consumer products that are packaged responsibly. Fast fashion is so last season!
- Convince your workplace to have glass dishes, mugs and metal silverware if you have a kitchen. We here at YENSA love enjoying our morning coffee in cute company mugs!
- Never use more toilet paper or paper towels than you need.
- Shop local— in turn, you’re support your community and contributing less pollution!
- Always read the care labels on your clothes before washing them in order to increase their longevity and decrease textile pollution.
- If you love the outdoors and backpacking, then this one’s for you— biodegradable soap! Genius, right?
- Invest in a sewing machine and learn how to fix or repurpose your damaged clothes!
- Switch to metal or glass straws.
- Use reusable cotton rounds when you’re washing your face.
- Buy secondhand.
- Support local farmers. Visiting your local flea market is a great way to spend the day (and grab some delicious fresh veggies!).
- Swap out your plastic food storage bags for reusable silicone bags.
- Bring back the handkerchief & ditch the tissues!
- Pick up any trash that you see laying around and throw it away in the nearest garbage or recycling bin.
- Try to take shorter showers in order to reduce water consumption.
- For all of our plant lovers, catch your shower water in a bucket while you wait for the water to heat, and then use it to water your plants.
- Switch over to bamboo towels. They absorb 4x as much water and are more eco-friendly than cotton. And yes, they are super soft too!
- Write to your political representatives about conservation and climate issues you care about!
- Get involved in local efforts at conservation
- Make it a habit to turn off the lights whenever you leave the room.
- The Last Swab— a reusable cotton swab—is great for cleaning piercings!
- Here at YENSA’s headquarters, we buy the paper towels with shorter cut outs so that we don't use too much paper to waste. A handy tip is to cut your napkins/paper towels in half if you’re dealing with a minor clean up.
- Plant a tree or donate to an organization that will do it for you.
- Shop for biodegradable plates/cups/utensils for camping or group gatherings.
- If you’re an avid Amazon shopper, select the option of using less boxes at checkout.
- Dine in at home instead of ordering takeout. This will save you money along with decreasing plastic pollution. If you do order takeout, try to reuse the plastic tupperware in the future!
- Continue to educate yourself on sustainability best practices.
- Last, but certainly not least, REDUCE 👏 REUSE 👏 AND RECYCLE 👏
Did you know…
- NASA planted a "Moon Tree" for Earth Day, like a monument in honor of the time they sent tree seeds to orbit around the moon a few times (30? 34 orbits?) to see what would happen (nothing) & then they planted those same seeds and called the progeny Moon Trees.
- It only takes about 6 weeks total to manufacture, fill, sell, recycle, and then remanufacture an aluminum beverage can.
- Switching from the font ‘Arial’ to ‘Century Gothic’ saves 30% on ink printing.
- A hot water faucet that leaks one drop per second can add up to 165 gallons a month.
- Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees
- It takes 500 (or more) years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill; they never completely break down, but instead become microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment.
Comment your favorite Earth Day or sustainable fun fact below! Let’s continue to educate ourselves in order to conserve and protect this home that we call Earth.
XOXO,
YENSA 💋