Earth Day and us

The more we love and take care of our planet, the more it reciprocates for us...

Earth Day began as a protest movement on April 22nd 1970. It has now evolved into a global celebration of the environment, as well as into a day that reminds us that the Earth provides humans with everything they needs in order to survive and we in turn must take care of it.

What can I do on Earth Day?

The ways in which we can contribute to the celebration of Earth Day are countless. For instance, we can participate in environmental actions in our region or take the initiative and organise a voluntary event ourselves. We can even simply share our views with the people around us regarding the ways in which we can protect the environment.

However, we don’t have to wait until April 22nd to take action. A better future will only be ensured if we show our respect for the environment all year round...

12 smart ways to contribute to the protection of the planet:

1. Transport ecologically by using public transportation or bicycles. If, however, you insist on using a car, make sure that you service it at regular intervals.
2. Buy as many reusable and biodegradable products as you possibly can. For example, you can take cloth bags when you go shopping, saving up on a significant quantity of plastic. Note that plastic needs thousands of years to disintegrate.
3. Reduce electricity consumption. Turn out the lights when you don’t need them and turn off electrical appliances from the power button after use. In this way, not only will you save up on energy, but also, extend their life span.
4. Grow your own vegetables. Cultivating and consuming vegetables without pesticides and agrochemicals is, on the one hand, beneficial for our health and, on the other hand, doesn’t leave a toxic waste imprint on the soil. If you don’t have that capacity, at least try to support organic product markets, especially local ones, where less energy was consumed in the transportation of products.
5. Replace incandescent lamps with low-consumption lamps.
6. Use paper that hasn’t been bleached with chlorine. Afterwards, recycle it.
7. Take advantage of natural light. Place desks or workbenches near windows and prefer light-colours on the walls of your home interior.
8. Enhance the natural coolness of your house in the summer by leaving the windows open at night. Instead of an air conditioning unit, prefer a ceiling fan.
9. Install a solar water-heater and, if possible, install a photovoltaic system in your home. In this way, solar energy will be directly converted into electricity, without polluting the environment.
10. Regularly defrost your refrigerator and don’t leave its doors open for too long.
11. Instead of an insect repellent, place pots with plants that repel insects e.g. basil, melissa, chamomile.
12. Save up on water by adopting simple daily habits.

• Wash with a low-flow from your faucet.
• Immediately take care of malfunctions in the plumbing system.
• Check for any leakage in the faucets or the toilet flush.
• For your bath, prefer a shower instead of a full bathtub. Turn off the faucet, when you don’t need water while brushing your teeth or washing your hands.
• Have as little dishes or laundry as possible and use the dishwasher or the washing-machine only when a large quantity of both has accumulated.
• Water the garden early in the morning, because at that time the temperature and wind speed are lower and therefore water loss because of evaporation is less.