April 22 is Earth Day, a day celebrating the anniversary of the modern conservationist movement. Earth day is a time to appreciate our connection with the world, and refocus our attention on living in an ethically responsible way.
We live in a society that has recognized the issue of climate change, but is generally uninformed on how to resolve the problem. This disconnection leads to a general feeling of despair. This makes sense. With such an extensive scope, climate change can feel like an inevitable future. But it isn’t. The most important constructive action that needs to be taken is the education of the masses. If each and every person can understand how their small actions can make an intangible but inevitably significant impact, we can cure the catastrophe of climate change.
It is often highlighted that large companies, like oil monopolies, are the driving cause of climate change. Although it is true that corporations outside of our control contribute greatly, in reality the collective impacts of individuals like you can have a tangible impact. The small habits of a community can add up to be impactful. The largest single, most economical, action that can be done to curb the scope of climate change: replacing inefficient refrigerators and air conditioning units across the globe. Sustainability is not perfection. It is progress. Here are five simple and practical ways you can live a more sustainable life.
Recycling. I know you have heard of it. Only about 7% of recyclable material is recycled, the other 93% makes it to landfills. First of all, let me clarify what can and not be recycled. The challenge is that it varies from county to county. Larimer county’s recycling program is looking for metal, glass, paper, and cardboard. They also want plastic, but only certain types. As a general rule of thumb, you should recycle plastic bottles or harder plastic containers.
Sequestering. With the remaining softer plastics that can not be recycled, you can create ecobricks. Softer plastics are not locally recyclable, but if they end up in landfills they harm the environment. Plastic does not decompose the same way as other materials, instead it breaks apart into smaller and smaller pieces. This creates microplastics, which harms the environment. If you take the softer plastics and stuff them inside of a harder plastic (I fill old orange juice containers), then when the softer plastics decompose, it will be contained inside of the other plastic, sequestering it.
Electricity. Reducing the amount of electricity that you use in your daily life has significant ecological benefits. The biggest personal use of electricity is typically air conditioning, so embrace your inner European and embrace the heat. In addition to heating and cooling, most electrical consumption is miscellaneous. One growing source of energy consumption is AI usage. This year, AI is predicted to be 5-10% of personal energy usage.
Overconsumption. An additional way to live a more sustainable lifestyle is to fight your overconsumption. Our culture has recently been focused on using eco-friendly products, when the larger issue is overconsumption. For example, 100 billion new articles of clothing are created every day, and over 80% end up in landfills. That is 42 million tons. Instead of comfortably consuming, consider the ramifications and if it would be more sustainable to consume less.
Food Waste. Forty percent of food in the United States is wasted, and over half of this waste is from individual households. To grow all of that wasted food takes agricultural land the size of California. Additionally, you can eat less meat. Over half of carbon emissions are from livestock farming. I know it might not be practical for everyone to become a vegetarian, but you can still cut back on meat. Remember, it is not perfection that is important, it’s progress.
Earth Day is not just a date on a calendar, it is a reminder of the responsibility that we carry each and every day. Climate change can feel overwhelming, but meaningful progress is built of small consistent actions by individuals. Stay informed, consume less, reduce waste, and make all of your choices meaningful to contribute to a larger collective impact. If we treat every day like earth day, real changes become possible.
