“Our planet is at a turning point. The massive global migration underway now from countryside to cities will demand huge investments in energy, water, materials, waste, food distribution, and transportation over the next 25 years. If the right investments are made now, this unique opportunity will be the catalyst for dramatic changes . . .”
This is a quote from the Earth Day Network. What does this mean to you?
Whether you believe in human-induced climate change or not, the Earth is our home. Just like the home we live in, if it’s not maintained and there is no investment in its future, it will deteriorate and be a disagreeable place to live. While few of us will have an enormous impact on the entire world, each of us can do our part to clean up, maintain, and improve our little corner to enable it to thrive.
In Your Home
• Recycling: Do you recycle? Is there a recycling program in your community? If not, perhaps you are the one to get it started.
• Water Conservation: Is everyone in your family knowledgeable about ways to decrease water usage in your home? That includes turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, fixing even the smallest drips, using appropriate landscape watering techniques and drought tolerant plants.
• Energy: Is the thermostat set for conservation? Have you checked for leaks around doors, windows, and outlets? When replacing old appliances, select those with low energy usage. Consider replacing old windows, the cause of many high electric and gas bills. Do lights stay on for long periods in empty rooms? If so, turn them off when exiting a space.
International Assistance Interested in helping in other parts of the world? One program developed by the Earth Day Network is The Canopy Project.
• This project is focused on planting trees to help impoverished countries throughout the world sustain their communities and achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability. Trees protect their lands from erosion, storms, and landslides; they filter the air and provide food, energy, and income.
• In the past three years, 1.5 million trees in 18 countries, including the U.S., were planted and ten million more trees over the next five years are scheduled to be planted in impoverished areas of the world.
• One tree is planted for every dollar donated to this project.
Do you like animals? How about helping preserve the endangered Asian elephant? Their threats are:
• rapid human population growth that has resulted in shrinking their habitat,
• major reductions in elephant “exclusive zones” and elephant “buffer zones,” and
• increased human-elephant conflicts – including poaching and an extraordinary increase in railway accidents. Indian railways have increased in range, size, and speed throughout the elephants’ habitat.
• A donation helps the Earth Day Network organize an emergency campaign to save the Asian elephant.
These are just a few examples from the Earth Day Network. What is one thing you can do now that you haven’t done in the past? Every positive change helps. Let’s work together, wherever we are, to preserve our world so that we can put out the welcome mat on a thriving Earth for future generations!
