Earth Day Every Day!

by Libby Carnahan, Sea Grant Agent
Ramona Madhosingh-Hector, Urban Sustainability Agent

This weekend, Earth Day celebrates its 42nd birthday! Let’s reflect on how we can help make this earth a better place for our families, and our neighbors.

So far, Americans have pledged 987,885,315 acts of green to help our Earth. You too can visit the Earth Day Network website and pledge your acts of green. Americans just like you have vowed to ride their bikes to work, plant a vegetable garden, or lower the setting on their thermostat. Below are some additional suggestions. For more tips, visit the University of Florida’s Living Green website.

5 Things you can do for $5 or less

Install a Low Flow Kitchen Sink Aerator ($5). Available at local home improvement stores, faucet aerators still deliver a strong spray, but can reduce water consumption by as much as 50%.

Buy and use a Reusable Grocery Bag ($2). We suggest keeping the bags in the trunk of your car, or by the front door so you remember to bring them to the store. Some stores will provide discounts for bringing your own bags!

Install Weather Stripping ($5) at your front and back doors. Most experts agree that installing weather stripping will pay for itself in less than one year.

Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs (compact florescent lightbulbs) ($5). Overall, CFLs use approximately 25% the energy of a traditional incandescent lightbulb.

Inflate vehicle tires to proper air pressure ($1). You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure.