Earth Day is April 22 and this year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet”. Each of us has the opportunity to do something to give back to our planet. Learn about five simple things we can do, to invest in our planet and also give back to ourselves too.
1. Use a refillable water bottle or mug.
According to EARTHDAY.ORG Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year. They say that if we each chose to use a reusable water bottle, we could each save an average of 156 plastic bottles per year.
2. Be mindful of food packaging.
Buy the biggest container possible to help cut down on the amount of packaging. Containers that hold single serve items, utilize more packaging.
Avoid single-use plastics, when you can. Single-use plastics are those that we use once and throw away soon after- think about plastic bottles, containers or wrappers.
Lean into packaging that can be repurposed or recycled.
3. Know what the words mean on food labels.
Did you know, about 80 percent of people in our country throw away food due to confusion about what date labels mean on packaging?
“Sell by”, “Use by '', “Best by”, these terms can all be confusing. The important thing to know, is that aside from infant formula, dates on foods are indicated for peak quality, not safety.
For more information on date labels, and how to tell if a product is safe to eat, visit here.
4. Plan ahead and store food properly to help reduce food waste, at home, and use what you have on hand.
Need some ideas? Check out your one to two week game plan to reduce food waste and use what you have on hand here.
5. Celebrate all things local.
Purchasing local goods helps reduce mileage, packaging, and energy needed to transport products to you.
It can also give your local community and economy a boost.
Interested in learning more about the benefits of eating in-season and local produce? I invite you visit the following article.
What ways do you, or what ways will you "Invest in Our Planet"? As always, I invite you to comment and share!
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