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Earth Day 2014: At Home Sustainable Projects

Monica Mosure

April 22, 2014

Earth Day celebrates its 44th  year today. Originally a grassroots movement and now celebrated worldwide by nearly 200 countries, this day is a testament to humanity's progress in improving the world for generations to come.

 

 

HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE CAUSE: Educate and Get Active

Educate: A great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about sustainability is the Earth Day Green Cities website. The site details projects from cities around the world that help reduce overall impact/carbon footprint, and outlines resources and volunteer activities for individual participation. This site is also a great resource for those already involved and knowledgeable about sustainability.

 

Get Active: Below are also some of our favorite at home projects that help the sustainable cause. A project to fit any budget, we challenge you to implement at least one as way to reduce your carbon footprint this year.

 

Have a sustainable project or resource you would like to share? Please make sure to leave the information in our comment section below.

Projects

Build a Sack Garden. This project lets you grow your own fruits and vegetables, reducing transportation costs for store bought goods. This project is also a great way to fight hunger in developing countries and urban landscapes.

 

Build a Rain Garden: While a sack garden provides food, a rain garden creates a vibrant landscape that provides a natural habitat for wildlife and reduces stormwater runoff, ultimately improving your community’s water quality.

 

Replace Home Lighting with LEDs: This project requires a medium to large upfront investment (depending on home size) but you will see the benefits in energy saved! In fact, LEDs use 75% less energy, and last 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting. And according to energy.gov, in “2027, widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity: This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants (1000 megawatts each), and a total savings of more than $30 billion at today’s electricity prices.” (source). LED lighting also saves in resources and waste (through less frequent replacement of bulbs).

 

Create a Compost Bin: With a price tag of just $15, this project is an easy way to keep waste out of landfills and reduce your use of harmful chemical fertilizers. Your gardens will thank you for the A+ compost!