22 April 2016 marks the 46th annual Earth Day - and it couldn't be more of an appropriate day! The Earth Day Network aims to inspire and motivate people to act over the environment, and has been going since 1970. However this year, Earth Day just happens to fall on the day when 155 countries are preparing to sign the agreement made in Paris last year to take action to keep global temperature rise down.
As a result, Earth Day this year is themed around planting trees and diverting our attention away from fossil fuels and onto renewable energy in a bid to keep the momentum from the Paris Climate Summit going.
And this got us thinking here at Cedrec about what you can do on Earth Day, and also on every other day, to help the environment. Here are a few very effortless suggestions.....
Bags for life
Across the UK now, legislation is in force which imposes a charge of 5p on the vast majority of single use carrier bags. This has already seen great results across the UK, meaning the amount of waste plastic going to landfill from such bags is decreasing.
But it could be better. Invest just a tiny amount in bags for life and use them again and again, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and the amount of raw resources used.
Lights
Do you really need that lamp on? Having lights on in the house in rooms with nobody in them is not only wasteful on energy, it is costing you money. Even if you are using energy saving lightbulbs! Turn off lamps and lights when you don't need them. Also, turn the TV off at the wall; that little standby LED also uses energy - not a huge amount, but every little helps!
Trees
Planting a tree in your garden will help the environment, although we acknowledge that this can be a bit of an investment, depending on the trees you plant. Though there are other ways this can be achieved, for free, and for only a tiny bit of effort.
The Woodland Trust, for example, currently has 4,750 free tree packs available for schools and communities. Let your local schools and community groups know about it, and you'll already have done a lot to help!
Cars
We've all been there, late night in from the office, the temptation of a takeaway looms; but then we jump into a car and pick the food up. Think about your journeys and whether you really need to take the car. Perhaps the takeaway is only a five minute walk away - walking there will be good for the environment and will also be good for your health.
In addition, there is no need to worry about the food going cold when you're walking. Remember those bags for life we talked about? You can get insulated versions of them. Ideal!
Recycle
Here at Cedrec we would always encourage you to apply the waste hierarchy, so would tell you that preventing the amount of waste you produce is the best way forward. You could do this by upcycling, where you don't view items as waste but rather as opportunities, or simply by buying loose fruit and vegetables instead of pre-packed.
If you can't prevent the amount of waste you produce, make full use of your household and workplace recycling schemes, which would greatly reduce the amount of waste the UK sends to landfill every year.
Let us know....
Is there something that your company or household does to help the environment that is easy and can be done by anyone? Tweet us @cedrec_news and with the hashtag #EarthDay2016 we'll pass the message on to our wonderful followers.
