How to Take Better Care of the Planet

Lola Cwilich Touzet

Apr 14, 2024

4 min read

Updated: Nov 4, 2024

In honor of Earth Day coming up on April 22nd, here are some simple ways that you can help the environment. Many of these things are minimal changes in your everyday life that can help make a bigger difference in the long-term.

Recycling

The easiest way to help the environment is recycling. The first step in doing this is making sure you have the proper bins designated for each type of waste. Brooklyn Friends provides these throughout the day in the cafeteria and by the bathrooms on the first and third floor. If your family doesn't recycle, it could also be a good idea to bring up to them. Another crucial part in this is making sure that you know which waste goes into which bin. We recently had a collection on this, so you may already know, but if not you can take a moment to type the item you’re trying to dispose of into this website (https://www.csun.edu/zero -waste/pledge/what-goes-each-bin) and it will tell you. It takes just a few extra seconds to separate trash into the correct bins and consistently doing this while encouraging others to do so can make an immense difference.

Additionally, recycling doesn’t only have to be sorting your waste. You can also recycle clothing, fast food containers, and more. For instance, instead of buying clothes from fast fashion companies that cause harm to the planet with their packaging and often unsustainable labor practices, you can upcycle a shirt that you don't wear anymore. Not only does this help the planet, but it's also a great way to pass time and relieve stress. However, if you aren’t very creative, it’s better to shop at thrift stores or on websites like Depop where people can resell the clothes that they no longer need.

Conservation

Conserving water is another major way that you can help the environment with little change to your everyday life. This can be as little as turning off the water while brushing your teeth, or in the shower while washing your hair, and even when scrubbing dishes in the sink. These small adjustments can not only help the environment, but also your water bill!

Conserving food can be just as important as conserving water. Wasting food is a big problem in the U.S., so being conscious of the food we throw out is important. To minimize this, you can try to serve yourself less food on your plate, so there’s less to throw out.If you’re still hungry, you can always get more! Leftovers can be your friend. Don’t throw out what’s left of your meal, eat it tomorrow instead. This saves you the time of making another meal, and means that you can save the other ingredients to use another day.

Conserving energy and electricity is another super simple thing you can do to help the planet. This can be as simple as shutting off the lights when you leave the house or unplugging devices you don’t use. Talking to your family about getting long lasting light bulbs that can make a significant difference in greenhouse gas emissions is another great way to save your family money and help the environment. Some good options are the Cree Lighting Exceptional Series Bulb, Philips Hue Smart LED Bulb, EcoSmart Dimmable ENERGY STAR LED Light Bulb, Sylvania Soft White Dimmable LED, and the Philips Light Bulb 2.

Donation

Donating can help reduce waste too. You can donate clothes, food, feminine products, toys, and much more. This not only gets rid of things that you haven’t used and frees up space in your closets, but also helps the community around you. If you live in Brooklyn, donating clothes has never been easier. You don’t even need to drop them off yourself! If you go to this website (https://www.stmarysclothingdrive.com/) you can easily schedule a pick up of your clothes at a convenient date for you.

Volunteering

Volunteering to help clean up your community is yet another way you can help the community around you. You can find clean up opportunities on this website (https://sanitationfoundation.galaxydigital.com/need/). If that’s too much for you, even cleaning up the sidewalks in your neighborhood, or your front yard if you have one, will keep your community cleaner and looking nicer. Try to encourage others not to litter, and if you find yourself littering, stop! Carrying trash around in your pocket until you find a trash can is not as difficult as it is for the people who end up having to clean up after you, or worse: not having anyone clean it at all and being surrounded by trash.