Each month, I try to bring your attention to some facet of your health and give you a few tips to improve your health in that area. This Earth Month, I’m going to pull back and take a much broader view of health because the truth is that our health, both as individuals and as a species, is completely dependent upon the health of our planet. After all, if we cannot breathe clean air, drink clean water, or eat clean food then we have no chance of living healthy lives. Every step we take to reduce our impact on the Earth is a contribution to our own health and helps to protect the health of future generations. Here are five ways to support and protect the planet that gives and sustains our very lives:
1. Cut down on emissions. Walk, bike, bus, or carpool whenever possible. Combine errands into one trip to save on gas. Fill your gas tank early in the morning or at night to help reduce ozone and maintain air quality in your community. Never leave your car idling while parked as this is an extreme waste of fuel and needlessly produces greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Conserve energy at home by running your AC/heating less often and turning off lights when you leave the room
2. Conserve and protect water sources. Take shorter showers. Don’t leave the faucet running continuously while washing dishes or brushing teeth. Water your lawn and plants sparingly and only at night or early in the morning. Avoid using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides in your yard or garden since runoff from your property flows into storm drains that empty directly into our local creeks. For this same reason, always take your car to a commercial car wash facility (which are required to send waste water into the sewer system where it is processed) and never wash your car in your driveway.
3. Support local, organic farms. Whenever possible, shop local farmer’s markets or grocery stores that stock local and organic produce. Organic produce is sustainably farmed without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and without GMOs, making it safer both for us and the environment as a whole. Buying local produce reduces the carbon footprint of your food because it does not have to travel as far to get to you. It also means you are getting fresh, seasonal produce that was allowed to ripen before it was harvested, giving it better nutritional value.
4. Compost. This is one of the most Earth-friendly things you can do and, if you live in a house, composting is very easy!(There are also options for apartment composting.) Composting keeps organic materials out of landfills. Due to the lack of oxygen in landfills, organic waste goes through anaerobic decomposition, releasing methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a significantly more harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and landfills are one of the largest sources of man-made methane. A well-maintained home compost pile has zero methane emissions! Of course, the most obvious benefit of composting is that you end up with a wonderful, earth friendly fertilizer that you can use in your garden or houseplants. It also reduces the amount of garbage you produce and eliminates the garbage can odor problem!
5. Practice thrift. Most of us probably experienced some sense of amusement or even embarrassment over the fact that our grandparents always found a way to extend the life of nearly every object that they brought into their homes. (I vividly remember my grandmother cutting up my grandfather’s old underwear to use as rags. I was mortified.) But the fact is that they were living in a more sustainable way. By willingly shifting to a disposable economy, we have reached a point where we are now choking our planet with garbage and constantly needing to replace inexpensive and poorly made products. As a consumer, you have the power to shift your own habits back towards sustainability. Invest in high quality products that can be maintained and repaired over time, find ways to reuse items that are worn out, and remember that buying second hand is a more environmentally friendly option than buying new.