Earth Day 2023- Investing In Our Planet

Happy Earth Day friends!

 Everyday is Earth Day, but April 22nd is always a perfect time to really amp up our planet love <3

This years Earth Day theme is “Investing In Our Planet” which is a continuation of last years theme. If you head to the Earth Day website you can even find events happening near you! While we typically focus on large scale campaigns for helping our planet, there are so many things we can do individually to improve our shared home. Before we get into the specifics on investing in our planet, let’s talk about simply connecting with our world.

 

If you feel connected to the Earth, it becomes even easier to appreciate and preserve it!

 

Did you know in moments of high stress and anxiety we can physically ground ourselves in nature? This technique is called grounding or earthing and is incredibly easy; simply take off your shoes and allow your bare feet to sink into the ground and focus on your surroundings while taking deep breaths. You can do this in the grass, on the beach, in the water and even in the dirt! Another great way to help improve your mood and connect with our earth is taking walks outside. The APA notes that “exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation.” 

 

Now that we have connected with our planet on a personal level, lets dive into steps we can take to improve the world around us! Expanding upon our walks to connect with nature and improve our mental health, you can also take this opportunity to see if there is any litter in this area. If you bring a small trash bag or grocery bag on your next walk and collect the trash you come across, you will instantly improve the world around you. Talk about making an immediate impact on Mother Earth! 

 

Water and food consumption is a great place to examine next. Are you buying water bottles every day? Instead of spending money on plastic water bottles, why not save that money and invest in a reusable bottle? There are many glass and BPA-free plastic varieties to choose from and this reduces your single use plastic consumption. Imagine if a large percentage of people stopped purchasing these water bottles, the demand for them would decrease, therefore eliminating the necessity to continue to make these bottles that typically end up in landfills and our oceans. 

It is no secret that the world needs to cut down on food waste, but America contributes heavily to this epidemic.

According to Martina Igini of Earth.org, "While the world wastes almost 1.4 billion tons of food each year, the US alone throws away 103 million tons (206 billion pounds), the equivalent of over 450,000 Statue of Liberties and more than any other country in the world." Did you know that food waste also equates to water waste? Everything that we grow requires water, so when we waste food we are also wasting water. Let’s narrow our scope once again; what can we do individually to combat this waste? Meal prep! Meal prepping has so many benefits, but there is one particular benefit that I don’t see enough people mentioning- planned efforts to reduce waste and use everything you purchased at the grocery store. Sure, meal prepping is essentially glorifying leftovers, but what is wrong with that? Having a plan for all of your purchased food means there isn’t any waste and you aren’t buying more than what you can consume. 

Lastly, we can look at how to become a savvy consumer who purchases from companies and brands that are trying to reduce their carbon footprint and create goods that are sustainable. While shopping, take a look around a companies website and see if you can find any information about the materials they use to create their products. Have they partnered with other companies to decrease their impact on our environment or enact environmental initiatives? At Ryan Porter we utilize both of these methods. Our products are made with soy wax and are scented with essential oils and our votives are made out of glass so they are reusable once the candles wax has melted down.

We partnered with Greenspark at the end of 2021 to ensure that Ryan Porter has a positive impact on the planet and its people. You can check out our impact so far by visiting our Greenspark page. 

 

 

The changes that need to be put into place are not something that will magically happen over night. Instead, we can focus on improving our daily habits to cut down on our waste and supporting sustainable companies and products. We can cultivate a community for this discussion and the people who participate are excited to help find new ways to invest in our planet. After all, this is our only Earth! We should treat it with respect and take pride in nurturing our beautiful, unique home.

 

TL;DR- This years Earth day asks us to invest in our planet. Take a walk and pick up trash, buy a reusable water bottle, meal prep your lunches and dinners and research the companies you purchase from.