Happy Earth Day!
Did you know that Earth Day, originally proposed in San Fransisco in 1969, is celebrated in over 193 countries around the world today? This annual event is celebrated worldwide as a way to demonstrate support for environmental protection. After all, we've only got one Planet Earth - we should celebrate it!
Go Green for Earth Day
Although Earth is affectionately known as the Blue Planet, it's the color green that has become associated with helping keep our celestial home cleaner and healthier. This is why something neat to do for the Blue Planet on Earth Day is to go green! Or greener. Not everyone can clean up oil spills, but there are little things everyone can do to help the place we all call home:
- Bring reusable shopping bags - Every year, Americans use 84 billion plastic bags and it directly and adversely affects our oceans. Opt for reusable bags instead.
- Drive less - Walking or biking to the places you'd normally go can save about a pound of CO2 and other pollutants per mile.
- Eat less meat - It takes 1,800-2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. Even having just one meatless day a week can help conserve water.
- Greenify your home - Or, make your home more energy efficient: clean and replace air filters regularly; invest in a programmable thermostat; turn off or unplug appliances you're not using.
- Plant a tree - Just one large tree can supply a day's worth of oxygen for four people. If you don't have the space to plant one yourself, donate to an organization that plants trees in your stead.
- RECYCLE - Before you throw something away, check for the triangle of arrows symbol to see if it can be recycled. Glass can take over a million years to decompose while recycling it can reduce related air pollution by 20% and related water pollution by 50%. And recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours!
- Stop buying bottled water - Each year, 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make disposable plastic bottles, and in the US, only 30% are recycled. Opt for a refillable water bottle instead.
- Turn off the lights - Turn off your electric lights during the day (as you're able) or in rooms you're not using as an easy way to conserve your home's energy use.
- Use paper mindfully - Just by paying bills online, your household could save up to 23 pounds of wood and avoid up to 29 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
Go Green with Skylights
Skylights have the potential to help increase your home's energy efficiency. When installed strategically, they can lessen your dependency on artificial lighting and reduce the use of electricity by as much as 10%. Take it a step further with venting skylights, which can open and recycle fresh air throughout a home, lessening dependency on central air as well.
Go even greener by going solar! VELUX's Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylight uses the power of the sun to open and close. And, when you install one this year, you become eligible for a 26% federal tax credit based on the cost of product and installation! Check out our Go Solar page to learn more.
