Welcome to our post on how to restore the earth! Earth day is only a few weeks away and it is important to do something to protect our earth now more than ever.
You see, each year a theme is chosen for earth day and this year, the theme for Earth day 2021, is Restore our Earth and so I feel it’s important to talk about this crucial topic now.
When exactly is earth day and how can we restore our earth? We will cover all of these questions in this post along with tips on what you can do to restore our earth.
When is Earth Day Celebrated?
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Earth day is celebrated on April 22nd every year around the globe to show support for environmental protection. Earth day was first celebrated in 1970 in the United States and now it is celebrated in over 193 countries involving more than a billion people which shows great steps have been made! However, a lot more still needs to be done: We must restore our Earth.
There are many ways to celebrate earth day all of which we will look at in this post. There is always a theme for earth day. April 22, 2021, is the 51st annual Earth Day, a day typically set aside for litter and beach clean-ups, spending time in nature, recycling and tree planting.
Now is the time to engage in conversations pertaining to environmental protection with friends and families and even those in your community be it at home, school or work.
This year due to the pandemic you can even go online and participate in online forums. Several topics from litter clean up to gardening and so much more can be found on the internet. If we make small changes it will in the long run do us a lot of good!
So many events are held around the world on earth day to show our love for planet Earth – the place we call home. Some places around the world celebrate earth day not only on earth day but even throughout the week or month.
You find that some offices would even celebrate for the entire month of April which is a good thing because this serves as a reminder for staff to continue doing what they can to restore the earth. Various events are held worldwide on earth day to show support for environmental protection.
What does “Restore Our Earth” Mean?
Restoring our earth means bringing back or replacing what’s lost and in this case it means replacing what’s lost due to our actions! Human behavior has several harmful effects on the environment. Yes. Let’s face it! The environmental crisis we face today are due to our actions.
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The garbage we generate ends up on land while some make it into our oceans. Sea animals think the garbage is food, they get entangled and in some cases they become sick and even die.
Energy production also results in emission of harmful substances that result in climate change! Now what we need to do as humans is to begin to look for ways we can restore our environment by reversing all the damage.
It all starts with you and I!
You might look at this as a complex process but it all starts with our own little efforts. A great example of active restoration is the restoring of the Louisiana bayou ecosystem right after Hurricane Katrina.
Okay! Don’t let me scare you there; that’s on a more complex scale but we can start small. Picking up litter, segregating our waste from recycling, planting trees in our backyard are simple ways we can actively restore the environment.
It is our responsibility to protect the planet. The earlier we realize this the better for us all! The younger ones and future generations will benefit immensely from the restoration of the earth.
Children need to be educated about ways they can protect the earth. We need to do our part by appreciating natural resources, minimizing ecological impacts and making sustainable choices and in so doing, we will be able to restore our ecosystem.
Why Should We Protect the Earth?
It really is time to restore the earth. Given the Coronavirus outbreak, Ebola virus, among other diseases, Scientists know more pandemics will arise in the future.
We are not doing our part to minimize biodiversity loss and deforestation. We can start by planting native plant species around our home and even trees. With regard to planting trees you may need to check with your municipality to see if that’s allowed.
Humans are disrupting Wildlife!
Just as mentioned earlier, It is evident that we humans are disrupting the homes of wildlife! Research also shows that the infectious diseases listed above were transmitted from animals to humans.
It is also believed that a lot of these diseases were as a result of deforestation. We as humans are not slowing down on deforestation or even loss of biodiversity.
We have to massively pull our efforts together to restore nature and not surprising, the UN called on Nations to protect 30 Percent of Planet by the year 2030 to protect biodiversity loss, and also to prevent the devastating effects of climate change but we can’t be waiting for their plans. You and I can do something now!
Protecting our environment is essential to our health and well being. The call to save our planet is now. Let’s restore our earth together, after all it’s the only home we’ve got!
Restoring the earth is not just something we should do only on Earth day; it is something that should be done on a daily basis.
Taking care of the planet starts with you and in the next section we will be looking at simple things we can do to restore the earth and we will also look at ways you can do this online especially in the midst of a pandemic.
Loss of species – Plants and Animals
According to research, biodiversity loss contributes to the spreading of disease. According to this study it was revealed that birds help prevent humans from infection from the West Nile Virus.
It is believed that around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history.
5 Steps You Can Take to Restore Our Earth
1. Be Part of the Canopy Project:
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The canopy project is all about conservation and restoration. Simply unsubscribe to catalogs and donate to the canopy project. The roles our forests play are huge. First, they act as carbon sinks and secondly, they serve as home for animals.
They also purify the air we breathe. The project ensures that for every dollar donated a tree is planted. Tree planting is done all over the world and tens of millions of trees have been planted from 2010 till date!
Trees are planted in areas in need of rehabilitation as well as areas at risk of climate change.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization have stated that almost half of tropical forests on earth have been cleared and approximately 7.3 million hectares of forest are lost yearly.
Restoration programs help keep land stable from erosion and improves groundwater and soil health and economic development in the communities.
2. Environmental Advocacy:
image: Amy Shamblen, Unsplash
Climate literacy should be part of the school curriculum you can make your voice count by advocating for government to include this in the school curriculum so that children know early how to preserve the environment and keep it safe for generations unborn.
3. Pick up litter and discourage littering
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You can volunteer in your community and help pick up trash. While some people would rather walk and pick up litter. Some would rather jog and get a work out while cleaning the community.
Picking up trash while jogging is called “plogging”. Which ever way you are still preserving the environment. See if there are groups in your community you can join or start a new group. Every little piece of trash picked up makes a difference.
4. Combat plastic pollution for good
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Plastics create big problems for our environment. Take simple approaches by making use of the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to combat plastic pollution. When making choices choose durability and quality instead of only considering the convenience.
For example bottled water may seem convenient but it is not good for the environment; and will cost you and our planet earth even more harm whereas a reusable bottle can be used over and over again!
Replacing plastics with reusable options that will last long is the way to go and if you are going to dispose of plastics ensure you dispose of them the right way. Here are more ways to live a greener life:
- When going out to the coffee shop, bring your own reusable cup.
- When dining out, take a reusable container with you for leftovers.
- Use a durable stainless steel or glass straw and say no to plastic straws.
- Shop wisely. Avoid single use plastic bags and take your own shopping bags to the stores
- You can even make your own cloth bag from old t shirts. There are tons of tutorials online that can help you.
- Say no to personal items made from microfibers and yes to those made from environmentally friendly materials.
5. Audit your food regularly
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We tend to forget some fruits, or vegetables or any form of food in the refrigerator. You know what to do? Bring out everything you have in your refrigerator, give your refrigerator a wipe and try to sort foods according to freshness.
Now, keep the fresh foods at the back and keep the ones that have to be eaten in front so they don’t go bad. As for the ones that have already gone bad, toss them….in the compost!
You can carry out an audit regularly; that way, you’re not always throwing out foods and you can also reduce your food waste.
If you have tons of vegetables and you’re not sure what to do with them, you can turn them into vegetable broth or just make some soup.
Even vegetable scraps would make great vegetable broth. Simply add some spices like thyme, bay leaf add some water to cover the vegetables, salt to taste and simmer for a few hour hours!
Conclusion
This post on how to Restore The Earth in 2021 and beyond reminds us that we need to be more conscious of our actions. We need to encourage people around us to support a sustainable lifestyle because protecting the planet starts with us.
The health of our environment depends on us. We must be willing to make the right choices and so we need to do our part.
Apart from the 5 points I have mentioned in this post, other things you can do include planting a tree, educating others, conserving water by using less, use long-lasting bulbs such as energy efficient light bulbs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biking more.
Let’s do our own bit by protecting the earth and keeping it safe for us and future generations.
How are you going to restore our earth this earth day? I would love to hear from you.
