This Sunday, April 22nd, is Earth Day and it’s time to celebrate our planet.  I think we can all agree that the earth needs more than one day to heal, but this one day can serve as a catalyst to get the do-gooder in all of us up and running. There are so many important issues plaguing our global environment, including climate change, plastic pollution, and air pollution.

This year Earth Day 2018 is dedicated to ending plastic pollution. From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet.

It’s time to step it up and for each of us to make conscious changes that will ultimately have a big impact on the earth.

Here are a few things you can do on Earth Day and every day to help end plastic pollution

Say no to plastic straws

In the United States, we use 500 million straws a day. We could take those straws and wrap them around the circumference of the earth 2.5 times or use them to fill Yankee Stadium over 9 times.

Let’s make a personal commitment to say “no” to plastic straws. This isn’t an easy one for me. I have to admit that I like a straw when I’m sipping a drink. I’m going to try and I hope you’ll join me.

Commit to picking up trash

Trash is everywhere. Pick up trash whenever you see it, especially in ponds, streams, rivers, and on beaches. Have you tried “plogging”? Plogging, is the name for picking up trash while jogging (walking works too!). Did you know that more than 64 million Americans went running or jogging in 2016, while 110 million used walking as a form of exercise? If each of these people picked up a few pieces of garbage every time they headed out for a run or walk the world could look completely different. That works for me!

Invest in a favorite reusable water bottle

It’s time to say goodbye to plastic water bottles. Last year Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles (That’s a lot of water bottles!). The recycling rate for plastic in the United States is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles are sent to landfills each year. 

Take a peek at a few of my favorite reusable water bottles HERE.

Use reusable bags (say “NO” to plastic bags)

If you haven’t already it’s time to make the switch to reusable bags. There’s no denying that plastic bags are polluting our environment. It’s hard to miss the enormous number of plastic bags swirling around in local parking lots and waterways. The bags never fully decompose and remain a significant threat to marine animals and other wildlife. Swapping out plastic for reusable bags is an easy step that will have a big impact.

I’m a fan of these BAGGU Reusable Shopping Bags.They come in so many different colors and fold into a small pouch when not in use.

Do you have plans for Earth Day this year? Whatever you do I hope you find yourself outside in beautiful weather.