During the month of April, most commonly April 22, there are festivities held to celebrate our earth. Families start tending to their garden and planting a tree seedling or two. However, we should be teaching future generations to lead a sustainable life year-long, not just for a month or a day a year. Below are some ways to celebrate Earth Day year-long!

In all honesty, changing the lightbulbs to compact fluorescent or recycling whenever it is convenient for you is not going to change this world and the state it is in. Humans have degraded it for so long that the damage we have done is irreversible, but by making lifestyle changes, big or small, we can all help to create a more sustainable world.

Science has been clear on the fact that there is no future on this planet for us if we do not change our lifestyle ways. Changing the way you live is the most intimidating part of making a difference in this world, but the most important one as well.

The first lifestyle change to consider making is eating less meat. Whether this be Meatless Mondays or going all out vegan, this will help the environment in a big way. According to, PETA, 51% or more of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture. This is because we are taking the farm food like corn, wheat, and other vegetables to feed our livestock when we could be using this food to feed ourselves. If every person on the planet was to start eating a plant-based diet, it would not only cut greenhouse gas emissions tremendously but pave the way ending world hunger, not to mention you could probably lose a few pounds while you’re at it!

The second thing that will help the environment out in a big way is to fix up your home. This would include replacing windows, buying energy-efficient home devices (washer, dryer, and dishwasher), and even sealing that leaky kitchen faucet. The Department of Energy estimates that $2,000 a year is spent annually in the average home in the United States on energy bills and that $200-400 of those dollars are wasted. Take a look around the perimeter of your home or any crevices that may need fixing up. Not only will this strategy save energy that would go out into the environment, but it could help you save a couple bucks as well.

The last way to help out the environment this year would be to put a dent in your ecological footprint. For those who are not aware, your ecological footprint is a measure of how sustainable your living is. My family’s ecological footprint is 3.1, which means that if everyone lived like us, we would need 3.1 earths to support the population. The world’s ecological footprint (2012) is 2.84 earths per person. While my family’s is a bit above that, I feel like this is a fair amount, although we could always do things to lower it. Some practices that promote a lower ecological footprint would be to start taking public transportation a few times a week or carpooling instead of driving everyday if possible. Another way to reduce your ecological footprint is by reducing your meat consumption.

While I cannot guarantee you that practicing these strategies will save the earth totally, I can promise that is is a step forward. One person may not be able to save our environment, but if the human race teams up, we might get pretty darn close. Do not care all you want, but in fifty years when we are all sitting around breathing out of oxygen masks while drinking out of a radioactive puddle, think about your choice to choose ignorance or “being cool,” over your own planet.a