Bustle is a more lifestyle and beauty brand, but I came across an article about the Earth and Earth day. Are you bored of the Earth day articles yet? If you are, sorry! Here's one more.
Here are some quick facts that I learned from the first two paragraphs:
- The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970.
- It was created by Wisconsin's Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson
- Nelson made sure that Earth Day would not fall on any religious holidays so that everyone's soul focus would be on the Earth.
The article went on to list seven facts about the Earth and Earth Day.
The first fact, along with a gif of Homer and Bart Simpson making snow angels in a pile of trash, was that "the average American often tosses away 4.5 pounds of garbage daily." That means that I probably throw away that much garbage in a day. How is that possible!?
"Major Waste Disposal estimates that the amount of garbage we toss on a daily basis would fill 63,000 garbage trucks." Everyone needs to stop being lazy and throw their plastic water bottles into the recycling bin. I know it might mean walking a few extra steps, but it will make a massive difference.
20 million people participated in the first Earth Day. The Earth Day Network formed around the same time. Their mission is "to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide." The Earth Day Network's goal is to "build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change and protect the Earth for future generations." They work with over 50,000 partners in 196 countries. I'll link their website down below.
It takes about a thousand years for plastic to break down. Only 25% of the 32 million tons of plastic that was produced in 2012 in America, was recycled. If this statistic doesn't make you angry, then what will?
Bustle made another great point. When you separate your trash into different bins, you create 2.3 million jobs. If helping the Earth doesn't interest you, then at least recycle to create jobs for people who need them.
Not only do we produce insane amounts of plastic, but we also use 650 to 680 pounds of paper each year. 500,000 trees are used to create Sunday newspapers. That is baffling to me. Let me say it again. 500,000 trees are used to create Sunday newspapers. That is an unacceptable amount of trees being wasted for something that you can read online! We lose over 15 billion trees annually. "According to TIME, our global percentage of trees has declined by 46 percent since humans took over.
Lastly, Disney has gotten in on the Earth Day action. A day before Earth Day in 2008, they founded Disneynature. Disneynature works on documentaries about the Earth and animals. The company is located in Paris and has already released eight films in the last eight years.
This Bustle article made me want to go out and plant hundreds of trees. It made me want to be apart of Earth Day and inspired me to think of ways that not only I, but you too, can make a difference in helping our Earth thrive.
Bustle Article: http://www.bustle.com/articles/155689-7-earth-day-facts-that-will-inspire-you-to-make-a-difference-this-year
The Earth Day Network: http://www.earthday.org/
Earth Day Network's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthDayNetwork/
My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/markbuysdamagedcars/
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