Conservation happens in many ways, whether it is through recycling, decreasing your water use or planting trees. Save the Earth club's members are deeply dedicated to conservation in their daily lives, as it is our goal to make the world a better place. This year Save the Earth Club and The Wildlife Society sent out a survey to our members asking how they support environmental conservation. We greatly appreciate all of the members that took time to respond and share how they are making a difference in the world! We received many ideas for environmental conversation efforts and how we can each do something individually that can make a difference in the world! Small actions have worldwide impacts on protecting our planet. Each day the choices we make and small changes we can control are important when it comes to creating a greener, cleaner world. When we each do something, no matter how small, the compounded result of all of us making a difference can make a larger change for the good! The following are some ways you can start making our world a cleaner, better place today!
1. Choose biodegradable products! When shopping, consider picking items in recyclable containers or that have already been recycled. For example, choose eggs or milk in paper cartons instead plastic, or find a local dairy that can refill your milk in glass bottles.
2. Bring your own shopping bag to the store. Today you can find fun and bright colored totes everywhere! In fact, WWF even sends you one when you donate! Many stores provide reusable shopping totes at checkout too! Most are only 99 cents! Bring your own to the store and say “no” to the plastic shopping bags that are filling landfills and the oceans. If you must use a store plastic bag, don't forget to reuse it!
3. Decline plastic straws and utensils when eating out. Opt for paper straws, plates or biodegradable disposable cups and utensils. If you have a favorite coffee/drink spot, bring your own travel mug! In most places, such as Starbucks, you will even get a discount!
4. Recycle cans and bottles to your local supermarket, if you live in a state with a deposit.
5. Recycle papers, cardboard, glass, certain plastics and cans at home. Contact your local disposal service to see if they can provide you a can. Most communities now have a recycling program that picks it up with regular trash weekly.
6. Donate old clothes and household items to Goodwill instead of throwing them out. Also, contact your local shelters (homeless and pets) to see if they need old blankets or clothes. This is a great way to help the environment, as well as your community!
7. Choose green products. Certain retailers, such as Sephora and Whole Foods, are now labeling products that are good for your health and the environment.
8. Try gardening! It is good for the environment, your health and cost effective!
9. Plant a tree! Did you know that the Arbor Day Foundation has gifts of trees that are planted for you or can be sent to your home to plant, starting at $5?
Check it out here: https://shop.arborday.org/
10. Last, but not least, don’t forget to participate in Earth Hour on March 27, 2021, at 8:30 p.m. wherever you may be in the world!
Here are some other ways that Save the Earth and The Wildlife Society members are participating in environmental conservation:
Shana Enos – She planted trees, vegetables and wildflowers. In northern New Hampshire, after the snow melts to reveal the trash on the ground, they have a pride day. Everyone signs up to pick up trash in an area. After the trash is picked up, there's a free barbeque, ice cream, and treats for the kids donated by area businesses when you drop it off. This year was a bit different, but they still had the ice cream and treats for the kids at drop off.
Shelby Jackson-Register - Planted a garden using organic methods, retained much of the native plants and trees around our garden which was certified as a wildlife habitat, recycles, uses rain barrels and rain catchment for watering the garden and chickens, created a compost pile, planted native plants garden for pollinators, helped a gopher tortoise cross the road, and uses natural wildlife deterrents versus poison or other means.
Ashley Fowler - Recycles soda cans, plastic/glass bottles, and cardboard boxes at home and at work.
Justin Hurt – As a park ranger with Harris County Precinct 4 in Houston, Texas, he regularly incorporates eco-friendly actions like planting trees, working, and maintaining gardens both at work and in my personal time. They have a bathroom facility in Carter Park he assists in maintaining that was built to be incredibly friendly to the environment. It has solar panels across the roof which collects solar energy in the battery array system and is used to power the lights, and a massive rain water reclamation system collects rain water which is then filtered and used in the restroom for sinks and toilets.
Joshua Leary – His family recycles everything possible. They also have a small garden each year ranging from tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, and green beans to pumpkins and watermelons. Each year when his family goes on vacation to the beach; his children walk along the shore and pick up trash others have discarded. As a lifelong trout angler and hunter, he always encourages everyone he hunts and fishes with to always find at least one piece of trash in the woods and take it out and dispose of it properly.
Jeremy Christian - He recycles and also gardens. He is growing tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, strawberries, roses, and a plum tree in pots so as to not disturb the natural habitat. Additionally, he turns off all lights after leaving the room, uses fans instead of the air conditioning, and only waters the plants at night.
Shanne'll Dunkentell – She reduces water usage by showering in less time and less frequently. She has also been a vegan for almost 5 years. She recommends watching Cowspiracy on Netflix regarding methane gas from cows that are over-bred for human consumption). She recycles and grows her own green onions from a glass of water, as well as has a house plant to provide her home with more oxygen.
Alicia Symons - She regularly recycles, saves soda cans, and gardens. She is also planning out a pollinator garden and harvests milkweed seeds for replanting. She has also made it a mission to plant at least 2 trees in her yard every year. So far she has planted 10.
Heather De La Cruz - She planted Avocado, Apple, Peach, and Red Oak trees. She recycles consistently and has recently gotten her parents to recycle, as well. She purchased reusable gallon jugs and a dispenser for my grandparents in order to halt water bottle purchasing. She rides her bike to the convenience store, instead of driving. She also drove to a lake nearby her residence and picked up trash.
Ashley Ellis – She believes it is important to locally source our food. Community gardens are incredible opportunities for public welfare. Not only do locally grown/sourced food provide healthy organic sustenance for those in need;(therefore stimulating the local economy), but they also help to reduce emissions that can arise as a result of mass transportation and production of conventional produce. Every town/city/county should be implementing multiple community gardens. The cost up front is a fraction of the long term payoffs. All it would take are a few people within the community speaking to their local representatives and environmental groups on how to move forward with such a project at get it going. Everyone capable can contribute to its construction and growth.
Mary Kerber – She recycles and uses her coffee grounds in her small garden! She also prefers cold brew coffee made in a glass pour over pitcher, which uses no electricity to brew. Over the past few months as the world has faced shortages of paper products she has also switched over to cloth napkins (not only are they reusable, but they make every meal feel fancier!) and using rags instead of paper towels a majority of the time. Additionally, a few years ago she invested in some small washable cotton rounds that have entirely replaced her need for the cotton rounds for makeup applying/removing! Definitely a swap she'll be continuing! As a military family, they move frequently. A pro/con of this is the amount of cardboard boxes they end up with. For those, she keeps a few and reuses all of the packing materials for breakable items or as padding for packages we ship out in the mail. She has also started repurposing food jars for loose leaf tea, beauty products, or anything else that needs a secure lid. It's fun to see how many different ways she can use them!
Sarah Hanson – She recycles and uses her own shopping bags to help reduce the use of plastic bags. At the beginning of this year, she started to use bar soap for my body, shampoo and conditioner. She found a website called Earth Hero and they have a lot of great zero-waste products. She didn’t think her hair would take to the bar shampoo and conditioner, but it’s actually been very healthy from using it. Using it reduces her single-use plastic consumption. Other single-use plastic she has ditched this year is plastic cutlery and plastic straws. She also went ordered online a trash grabber and eco-friendly bags so she can pick up garbage when she goes on hikes at the park.
Shana Gibbs - She never runs my water when brushing my teeth; only to wet her brush then finally rinse. Her showers are kept to a maximum of 8 minutes - (water on\off) for about 1.5 minutes. She washes the containers that she recycles before placing them in the recycling bins. She also separates plastic, glass, and metal in the recycling bins. She doesn't leave lights on in rooms that she is no longer in. She recycles the junk mail that I receive either in the recycling bins or as a floor barrier when doing projects. She also utilizes her dishwasher only during off peak hours: 11pm to 5am.
Thank you to everyone that participated!