Here are steps you can take to reduce your environmental impact this Earth Day

Krishna Thaker
·2 min read

Earth is the only home we have and we desperately need to take care of it.

Temperatures are reaching record highs, causing forest fires, ice melt, ocean acidification, and countless other harmful effects.

This Earth Day, make it a priority to adopt new climate-friendly habits into your everyday life.

Here are 15 ways to save our planet.

1. Drive less, walk and bike more. By driving less, you will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When you drive, make sure you are driving in fuel-efficient cars.

2, In the wintertime, do not “warm up” your car before you are ready to drive. Layering is a more Earth-friendly way to combat the cold.

Members of Pennsbury High School's Origami Club recycle student papers for their creations.
Members of Pennsbury High School's Origami Club recycle student papers for their creations.

3. Recycle. Instead of throwing recyclables in the trash with your non-recyclables, take the extra step to correctly recycle your items.

4. Try eliminating the amount of meat and dairy you consume each day to reduce your carbon footprint.

5. Plant a tree. Trees clean the air we breathe and so many are cut down every minute. Listen to the Lorax.

6. Be environmentally friendly when you shop online. Consider asking to have all of your packages ship together in one shipment with minimal packaging. Order your items ahead of time and choose longer delivery time windows to help shipping trucks avoid extra trips.

7. Use eco-friendly lightbulbs in your home. LEDs, CFLs, and halogen incandescents last longer, are more durable and are non-toxic. Because they put out more light, you will need f lightbulbs, saving you money.

8. Conserve water, do not waste it!

9. Use reusable bottles instead of plastic water bottles.

10. When shopping at the grocery store, ask the cashier to put your goods in paper bags instead of plastic bags. Reusable grocery bags are even better!

11. Take more showers and fewer baths. Baths use approximately double the amount of water a shower uses.

12. Buy local products. Buying local goods saves pollution caused by transporting goods over long distances and packaging materials.

13. Turn your lights off when you leave the room to save energy.

14. Pass on clothes you no longer want to someone who would. In addition, avoid fast fashion. Cheap synthetic fibers that are used to make fast fashion emit gases like N2O, which is 300 times more damaging than CO2.

15. Use rechargeable batteries. Corrosive acid in throw-away batteries is extremely damaging to the soil.

This Earth Day, take steps to live a more eco-friendly life and encourage your friends to do the same.

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My name is Krishna and I am a junior at Pennsbury High School. My focus is on enjoying my life to the fullest and reaching my goals. I am creative, determined, and I do all I do with great passion. Some of my passions include writing, playing basketball, creating art, and inspiring others. I am starting an origami club at my high school this year, which encourages the use of newspapers for paper creations, inspiring my friends and classmates to recycle paper and care for our planet. I also have a blog on which I spread positivity by posting pick-me-ups, mood-lifters, motivational quotes, and my tips and tricks. These platforms, along with Reality, allow me to get involved with issues I care about, such as the environment and spreading positivity. It is important for me to make a difference and express my opinions, which are a few reasons why I wanted to join Reality. I understand that every writer offers a fresh perspective on each topic they write about, and I feel this is the beauty of writing. Reality gives us teens a way to be heard, understood, and taken seriously. From me, you can expect honest and thoughtful perspectives about many different topics, like current events, social issues, and daily life. I look forward to writing for Reality this year, and I hope you feel inspired by my content!

Krishna Thaker is a junior at Pennsbury High School. This is her first year writing for Reality.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Earth Day: How to reduce your environmental impact