Awareness: Earth Day, 22nd April

(Photo taken in Pulau Segayang, Indonesia. A privately owned island located south of Batam Island.)

Earth Day falls on the 22nd of April every year. In conjunction with this day, here are some of the things we can do to help to make Earth a better place to live in.

Save energy
Turn off appliances and lights when we leave the room.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Have leaky air conditioning and refrigeration systems repaired.
Cut back on air conditioning if you can especially these rainy season.
Do all our shopping only once a week to reduce driving – lessen air pollution.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy saving bulb.

Use less water
Don't let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
Take short showers instead of tub baths.
Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
Repair all leaks (a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons a day).
Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best).
Plant trees.

Reduce/reuse/recycle

Practice the three R's: first reduce how much you use, then reuse what you can, and then recycle the rest. Then, dispose of what's left in the most environmentally friendly way.

Reduce:
· Buy permanent items instead of disposables.
· Buy and use only what you need.
· Buy products with less packaging.
· Buy products that use less toxic chemicals.

Reuse:
· Repair items as much as possible.
· Use durable coffee mugs.
· Use cloth napkins or towels.
· Clean out juice bottles and use them for water.
· Use empty jars to hold leftover food.
· Reuse boxes.
· Purchase refillable pens and pencils.
· Donate extras to people you know or to charity instead of throwing them away.
· Reuse grocery bags as trash bags.
· Bring own cloth bag for shopping reducing the usage of plastic bags.
· When buying small items, request not to have plastic bags.

Recycle:
· Recycle paper (printer paper, newspapers, mail, etc.), plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. If your community doesn't collect at the curb, take them to a collection center.

Let's together, hand in hand, make an effort to make our only home (earth), a better place to live in. Treat it with respect.