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Global Earth Day (Nr 50!)

Earth Day has been celebrated every April 22nd since 1970. The main aim of Earth Day is to raise awareness on the negative impact our actions as mankind have on our environment and earth as a whole, and is a day for political action and civic participation.

Earth Day was a unified response to an environment in crisis — oil spills, smog, rivers so polluted they literally caught fire.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet.

The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event.

What can you do, especially while in lockdown? (Please visit www.theminimalistvegan.com for a more comprehensive list!)

  1. Put on an extra layer of clothing instead of turning on the heating. Seriously, doubling up on your socks does wonders!
  2. Open up your blinds and use as much natural light as possible before switching on your light bulbs. You all get to enjoy some more sunshine
  3. Turn off your lights when you leave a room.
  4. Hang your wet clothes on a drying line or rack instead of using a powered dryer.
  5. Turn off your devices at night, including your wifi box.
  6. Don’t use plastic bags at checkout. Instead, take your own bags for groceries. https://theartofsimple.net/diy-super-simple-market-bag/
  1. Buy your produce in bulk from your local farmer’s markets.
  2. Avoid buying plastic-wrapped products, opt for a paper bag instead.
  3. Stop buying bottled water! If you can’t drink tap water, rather buy water in bulk, or purchase your water from water-retailers like www.h2o.co.za
  4. Reduce how frequently you wash your clothes.
  5. Repurpose old clothes as rags or donate to a local mechanic if no longer wearable.
  6. Acquire basic sewing skills to patch holes and sew buttons back on. Or if you have a bigger job, take to an alterations shop. 
  7. Opt to receive digital letters and notices.
  8. Read this article on how to use an app to scan and organise all of your paperwork.
  1. Collect scrap paper in a tray.
  2. Turn off your computer before leaving your home office.
  3. Juice the off-cuts of your vegetables and fruits.
  4. Repurpose glass jars.
  5. Use cloths instead of paper towels.
  1. Start composting. Here’s a guide to help you get started.
  2. Use a dishwasher instead of handwashing.
  3. Try making homemade cleaners.
  4. Go makeup-free for one week each month.
  5. Limit the amount of water you use to brush your teeth.
  6. Don’t leave the water running when cleaning your face.
  7. Save gift bags and boxes for future use.
  8. Spend more time outside.
  9. Read your favourite newspaper publications online instead of reading the paper versions.

*Just for fun – take a look at Google’s Doodly for Earth Day 2020! https://g.co/doodle/mcmbu

If all of us do a little bit, improve each thing we do with 1%, imagine the global effect we can have!

Please share YOUR ideas with us!

Have a happy, healthy and safe Earth Day.