Earth Day falls on Sunday, April the 22nd this year. This year Earth Day revolves around ending the use of plastics. Plastics poison and injure marine life and also disrupt hormones in humans. Plastic litters our beaches and clogs landfills. We are now at the point where plastic is threatening the survival of our planet.
How can seniors celebrate Earth Day?
- Plant a garden. Many seniors already enjoy gardening. It’s one way to harvest your own food or grow flowers and plants to decorate both your yard and inside your home. Gardening also helps with anxiety and depression. Spending time outdoors tending to a garden keeps you in physical shape also while bringing more greenery to the earth. If you haven’t already started a garden, think of planting one now, even if it’s just a small herb garden on your windowsill.
- Recycle. Many of us have a recycling bin for cans and paper waste. A compost bin can also be useful for perishable items. Items such as coffee grounds can be added and later in the year the compost can be added to your garden. Check around your municipality for environmental groups that can help you with learning to compost and living an environmentally friendly life.
- Cut down on your use of technology. Digital devices have a negative impact on the environment when they are disposed of. We discard up to 50 million tons of e-trash worldwide each year. Of the more than 150 million mobile devices thrown away each year, less than 11% are collected for recycling.
Seniors grew up in a society where green living was normal. 50 or 60 years ago, there were no digital devices, tons of plastic or throw away items. Most things that were needed were built from other things that were available. We can once again become creative with items we already have on hand and reuse them rather than throwing them away.
