How to Do Your Part on Earth Day

Earth Day was created in 1970 as a way to increase awareness about our impact on the planet while helping us appreciate the world around us. Today, over 50 years later, Earth Day continues to inspire people all over the world to adopt greener habits.

With Earth Day right around the corner, it’s a great time to evaluate your habits and make a few changes to help protect the environment.

These Earth Day tips are simple things you can while you’re at home or away to help you show your appreciation for the environment by doing your part to protect it.

Do your part in your home

Around the house, small changes like these can make a big impact:

Go paperless

If you’re like most people, you toss junk mail in the trash as soon as you get it. Or, you pay all of your bills online. That’s why most of the ads, catalogs, and paper bills that are mailed out to houses around the country end up landfills (5.6 million tons per year, to be exact).

By opting out of unsolicited direct mail and switching bills to paperless, you can help cut down on waste and save trees. In fact, you’ll save the equivalent of 1.5 trees every year . And if every house in the US opted out of junk mail, it would save more than 100 million trees ever year.

Install a smart thermostat

Almost half the energy in your home goes to heating and cooling it. Oftentimes, this energy (and money) is wasted when your HVAC system works to heat and cool an empty home.

You can help conserve energy (and save money!) by installing a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats automatically adjust the temperature in your home based on your temperature preferences and location while offering energy savings at the same time. You’re comfortable while at home while saving energy while you’re away. And best of all, you don’t even need to think about it.

Swap your light bulbs

If you still use incandescent lights around the house, now is the perfect time to switch. Energy efficient LED light bulbs use up to 80% less energy, so they last longer, stay cooler, and are better for the environment.

While you’re at it, make sure you turn off lights when you’re not at home. One easy way to do this is through smart lighting. A smart lighting system uses energy efficient light bulbs and also lets you control your lights from anywhere with your smart phone. If you’re out and realize you left all the lights on, you can easily turn them off from your phone.

Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products

Have you ever thought about where the chemicals from household cleaning products go when you rinse them down the drain? Thousands of chemicals are washed into streams and rivers, which can pollute the water for living things. Additionally, many of the plastic containers they are sold in are not recyclable, which contributes to landfill waste.

Using “green” or environmentally-friendly cleaning products can help protect your family from potentially harmful chemicals while also protecting the environment.

Start “meatless Mondays”

Humans around the world eat 350 million tons of meat each year. The impact that raising and producing such large quantities of meat has on the environment is far-reaching -- it produces more greenhouse emissions, causes rainforests and other forest area to be cleared for grazing, and uses more water than it takes to grow plants.

Going meatless just one day a week saves the equivalent emissions of driving 348 miles in a car!

How to save the environment

You can help protect the environment when you’re out and about with these Earth day tips:

Support sustainable companies

One simple and effective way you can make a difference on Earth Day and every other day is to support sustainable companies and products. You don’t have to overhaul every thing you buy, but showing support for these types of products increases demand, which in turn continues to help the environment.

Use reusable shopping bags

Of the 380 billion plastic bags and wraps that are produced globally every year, less than 5% are recycled. The remainder ends up in landfills and bodies of water, polluting resources and contributing to waste.

A simple way to help cut down on plastic waste is to start bringing your own bags when you shop. Reusable bags are environmentally friendly, and they also roomier and sturdier than plastic bags.

Use refillable cups

While you’re at it, refillable cups are another great way you can help make a difference while you’re out and about. If you make frequent coffee or soda stops, start taking a refillable mug or cup with you. Not only will you help the environment, but many places also offer discounts for people who bring their own mugs -- win-win!

Cut down on car trips

Car pollution is the biggest contributor of air pollution in the country. Each car on the road emits carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and many other pollutants that make the air harder to breathe for everyone.

While electric vehicles help to cut down on this pollution, you don’t have to buy a brand new car to do your part. Simply cutting down the number of trips you take by carpooling or running two or three errands in one trip will make a big impact.

Get involved in your community

Getting involved in your community’s efforts to protect the environment is a great way to make your community a more beautiful, greener place to live for you and your family and neighbors. You can volunteer in local clean-up efforts, organize a recycling drive, or start a community garden, to name a few.

Celebrate with Earth Day activities

Earth Day is designed to raise awareness and appreciation for the Earth, and what better way to do that than celebrate!

Check out these Earth Day activities you can do with the whole family:

• Plant a tree in your yard or neighborhood.
• Spend an hour cleaning up trash in a local park
• Make a birdfeeder out of pine cones
• Have a family movie night featuring a movie with a “green” theme (Check out this list from the Smithsonian for ideas)
• Visit a farmer’s market
• Go for a nature walk

Earth Day is the perfect time to make simple changes to your daily habits. Even small changes made at home can have a lasting impact on making the world a greener, healthier place for years to come.

Let Vivint help you save energy

Ready to start saving energy at home? See how a Vivint Smart Home can help. Contact our Smart Home Pros today for a free consultation at 855.822.1220.