Green Tips for Earth Day 2015
Brought to you by the KNow Science team
Last week, a friend of mine shared this on Facebook. Yes, the situation on planet Earth looks bleak. And yes, whichever
way you look at it, it is our fault. One important aspect of this statement,
however, is that being responsible for the destruction of our planet, we also have the
power to reverse this worrying trend and make the world a better, greener,
healthy place.
Starting with only a few key daily actions.
Here are KNow Science favorites, picked from
today's web, especially for you on Earth Day 2015.
1)
Save water.
While brushing
our teeth, each one of use wastes more than 600 gallons of water.
Easy solution: use water collected in a glass to rinse and close the tap while
brushing.
2)
Eat responsibly.
Food we eat
usually travels hundreds of miles before getting to our table. Choosing
locally grown produce, whenever possible, greatly helps reduce your carbon
footprint. To find regional farmers, visit localharvest.org.
3)
Go green.
Traveling by
airplane and private vehicles carries a much higher carbon footprint than going
by bus or train. A train can carry 200 car loads and a single bus equals 55
fewer single passenger cars on the road. Consider carpooling whenever possible.
If you have to fly, flying direct reduces your carbon footprint and when
driving, make sure tire pressure is optimal to cut fuel consumption.
4)
Recycle.
Every second,
more than a thousand bottles of water are consumed in the US alone.
A key reason to buy bottled water is that it is cleaner than tap water.
However, regulations do not require to list the source of water on the label,
thus almost half of all bottled water is the same water that flows through faucets! Save money and reduce plastic
waste by carrying your bottle with you and refilling it with tap water.
' Almost half of all bottled water is bottled tap water '
5)
Power down.
Save electricity
by unplugging appliances and turning off stand-by lights at night.
Laptops are far better for the environment than desktops. If you use a desktop
computer, LCD monitors are more energy efficient than CRT ones. Limit printing,
consider using lower density fonts, like Garamond or Ryman Eco that require
less ink, and go double-sided.
While we continue debating whether the
globe is warming, cooling, going through perennial thermal cycles, or if the
climate is changing at all, well-documented urgent environmental issues like
the increase in CO2 emission are being ignored by governments around the world. A considerable percentage of
the spike in CO2 is man-made and has devastating consequences for the environment, from ocean acidification to loss of
bio-diversity.
Importantly, it directly affects our health. We have evolved to breath
air, a complex mixture of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% trace gases. The
balance of these components must be maintained for our survival.
5% CO2 is directly toxic and affects each of the components of
normal air to 95% of their original proportion.
Reducing our carbon footprint and advocating for greener industries
and energy are important daily task. Our planet, and its unique eco-system, has
allowed the evolution of life as we know it. Its preservation is of paramount
importance to the survival of all species, including our own.
Happy Earth Day 2015 from the KNow Science team!
Dr. Simona Giunta, Ph.D.
Founder of KNow Science
PS. Feel free to share more green suggestions in the comments below!
Here are KNow Science favorites, picked from today's web, especially for you on Earth Day 2015.
1) Save water.
While brushing our teeth, each one of use wastes more than 600 gallons of water. Easy solution: use water collected in a glass to rinse and close the tap while brushing.
2) Eat responsibly.
Food we eat usually travels hundreds of miles before getting to our table. Choosing locally grown produce, whenever possible, greatly helps reduce your carbon footprint. To find regional farmers, visit localharvest.org.
3) Go green.
Traveling by airplane and private vehicles carries a much higher carbon footprint than going by bus or train. A train can carry 200 car loads and a single bus equals 55 fewer single passenger cars on the road. Consider carpooling whenever possible. If you have to fly, flying direct reduces your carbon footprint and when driving, make sure tire pressure is optimal to cut fuel consumption.
4) Recycle.
Every second, more than a thousand bottles of water are consumed in the US alone. A key reason to buy bottled water is that it is cleaner than tap water. However, regulations do not require to list the source of water on the label, thus almost half of all bottled water is the same water that flows through faucets! Save money and reduce plastic waste by carrying your bottle with you and refilling it with tap water.
normal air to 95% of their original proportion.
PS. Feel free to share more green suggestions in the comments below!