E – Everyone can get involved! The more people that take action to help our environment, the better the result. Just imagine the effect of all 7 billion of us doing 1 small thing.
A – Awareness is important when it comes to the health of our environment.
R – Recycling saves. It takes about 6 weeks total to manufacture, fill, sell, recycle, and then re-manufacture an aluminum can. If it sits in a landfill, a can could take between 8-200 years to break down! So sort those recyclables!
T – Tropical rainforests are home to over half of the animal and plant species in the world. But many of these forests are located in regions experiencing high rates of population growth and as a result, are often cleared to make space for homes, crops, and livestock.
H – Human population in 1970, when the first Earth Day was celebrated, was 3.7 billion. Today, just 44 years later, world population is 7.2 billion.
D – Diets vary around the world and some argue that aside from slowing human population growth, shifting to a plant based diet (rather than an animal based diet) would have the largest positive impact on the planet.
A – Action! Every action, big or small, will have an impact. To further your action’s impact, make it a habit! Do something as simple as replacing a candescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, which use about 75 percent less energy, and last 10 times longer than regular light bulbs!
Y – YOU are key in helping to preserve our planet, the Earth’s natural habitats and ecosystems, and most importantly, in determining the future of our environment!
2 – 2 degrees. The Earth’s average temperature has risen by 1.4°F through the last century, and is projected to rise another 2-11.5°F over the next hundred years.
0 – 0 percent of Reykjavik, Iceland’s electricity comes from fossil fuels. Reykjavik gets 100 percent of its electricity powered by geothermal and hydrogen power, making it 100 percent renewable and 0 percent reliant on fossil fuels.
1 – 1 Million Years: The amount of time it takes for 1 glass bottle to break down in a landfill.
4 – 4/22/1970: Date of the very first Earth Day celebration.
