In honor of Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, we've rounded up a few tips and activities you can use in the office and in your personal life to celebrate Mother Earth.
- Plant a tree or start a garden.
Having a garden is not only good for the environment because it reduces carbon emissions, but it can also provide a habitat for local animals. No outside space? Add a potted plant to your desk. Studies show that having indoor plants can increase concentration and productivity by up to 15%.
- Clean up your inbox.
Take a few minutes to declutter your inbox and help reduce your office’s environmental impact. Digital items may not seem as obvious as paper, but emails take up server space, and servers use lots of energy to store and recall those emails. Delete any old emails you don’t need anymore and to unsubscribe from newsletters you never read. Not only will this free up storage space on email servers, but it will also help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it will make it easier to find important emails when you need them.
- Bring a reusable water bottle to work.
According to the EPA, Americans use about 50 billion plastic water bottles every year. And of those, only about 23% are recycled. That means that 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills or as litter every year. But you can help to reduce that number by bringing your reusable water bottle to work.
- Stop using single-use plastic items.
Another way to reduce your environmental impact is to delete all single-use plastic items from your office. This includes things like disposable cups, plastic utensils, and straws are all examples of single-use plastics. Consider leaving your own set of dishes and silverware at work or bring them in your lunchbox everyday.
- Do you really NEED to print that?
Try to print double-sided or use electronic documents instead of paper whenever possible. This will save trees and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Meal prep your lunches.
In the US alone, around 40% of food is wasted each year. Challenge yourself or your household to waste zero food for one week. Prepping all your lunches for the week is a great start. Buy only what you need at the grocery store to make one big meal, divide it into 4-5 portions, and eat it for lunch every day. Buy snacks in bulk, and portion them into reusable containers instead of buying pre-portioned snack size items. Healthier and cheaper than eating out every day, and you'll have little to no food waste.
There are plenty of earth-day activities that you can do at work to show your commitment to the environment. So this year, try out a few of these ideas and help make a difference. 🌍
