10 Earth Day Habits
10 Earth Day Habits
Walk or bike more often
Let’s try to minimize our carbon footprint as much as possible. Walking or biking are great ways to get outside, smell the fresh air, and enjoy the sunshine. Adding this simple exercise also helps keep you healthy and fit. When you step outside and look at all the greenery around you, you relax, destress and are mentally much happier.
2. Buy/sew and use reusable bags
Let’s try to toss one-time-use plastic bags when shopping at the supermarket. Plastic takes around 20 years to break down and decompose. The more robust/more rigid plastics will take up to 1,000 years. The extra plastic bags not only ends up in the landfills but also in the oceans and sea, where creatures in the water consume them and die from them
3.Buy reusable water bottles and straws
We are always drinking water. Why not have your personalized water bottle, which you take everywhere. This way, you won’t worry about spreading germs and help the earth. Plastic bottles take about 450 years to decompose.
4.Replace plastic with glass or stainless steel
Next time you are shopping for containers, reach for the ones that will be gentle not only to the earth but also to your health. Plastic water bottles and food containers contain the compound PBA, which is harmful to you and your children. PBA can disrupt the endocrine and negatively affect your hormones' dominance. It negatively affects your gut microbiome throwing it off of balance and making it difficult for you to fight off diseases. There are many options for glass and stainless steel hot or cold water bottles, cups, and plates. And they are durable and last a very long time.
5. Volunteer and clean up your community
As a part of our charity we can take an hour of our Saturday and while we are at our local park/playground, let’s pick up the trash that has been thrown around. Volunteering to clean up is one of the simplest Earth Day events we can perform. This is our community park. It would be nice to have it look pleasant. Let’s do our part.
If you feel you work better with a group, you can join a group cleanup effort. Look for them on Facebook or Google Groups in your area.
6. Plant a tree
Planting a tree is the best way to fight deforestation and remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. Only trees can produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide while being a shelter for birds and many other small animals. Planting a tree is the best way to help your Earth. There is a global effort to plant an additional one trillion trees at Goodwall, https://www.goodwall.io/blog/goodwall-trillion-tree-campaign/ https://www.goodwall.io/blog/goodwall-trillion-tree-campaign/There are various tree-planting projects on their website.
7. Take shorter showers
When we look at the map of the earth, it seems like we have an unlimited amount of water. This is true, but 96.5% of this is saltwater. Another 2.5% is not accessible because it is underground, dirty, or ice. This only leaves about 1% of the world’s water that we can consume and use. Let's make a commitment and take shorter showers.
Many of us leave the faucet on while we are brushing our teeth. It’s something we do without realizing it. Today, we can remember to turn off the tap while brushing our teeth for a few minutes. This will save gallons and gallons of water.
Many of these positive habits can be easily continued if you make labels and remind yourself what needs to be done. Place a tag that states, “Unplug Me and save the earth!” on your appliances or the outlets.
8.Unplug your devices when not in use
The easiest habit to place in our home is to unplug your electronics when you are not using them. Devices left plugged in still consume power, even when turned off. This may seem like very little but will add up in the end, but it adds up over weeks, months, and years. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports a typical household in the USA spends an extra $165 each year due to plugged-in gadgets that aren’t in use. The USA alone adds 44 million tons of CO2 just by leaving them plugged in. So, if you are not using your phone charger, kitchen appliances, r T.V., unplug them.
9. Donate clothes
Once or twice a year, we all go through spring cleaning in our homes. If our children are still growing, it is even faster. Instead of throwing away your old clothes and appliances, next time, consider donating them. This way, you are preventing the landfill’s from growing more extensive and helping people around the globe who need them most. Your local masjid may be working with an organization to make this happen. Find out and make this easy step. Our beloved Prophet(s) never wasted anything. He was the perfect example of a minimalist who named every single item he owned. Let’s follow in his footsteps the best we can by taking the initiative and implementing one Earth Day habit today!
10. Share this info with others.
And last but not least, let's share this info with others. The Prophet(s) taught that even if we know a small amount of knowledge, we should share it with others. So, please forward this info and share it with others so we can all help make the earth a little bit happier and gain immense reward in performing them in the blessed month of Ramadan. If we instill one Earth Day Charity Habit each day of the last ten days, imagine how much reward we gain. We are promised that our tips will help multiple by 700 and even more. InshaAllah.