Have you been a part of ‘Global Selfie’ by NASA? If not, read on and we’ll tell you what it is. It was a part of Earth Day 2014 celebrations. How important is Earth Day to people? Have we forgotten that the Earth is our home and we need to keep it safe in order to leave a healthy planet behind for the future generations?
World Earth Day is celebrated all over the world on April 22nd due to the efforts of Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson. While we might not be as influential as world leaders, we can surely do our bit on Earth Day. Here are a few simple eco-friendly tips you can follow.
How to celebrate Earth Day
1) Plant a Tree
The simplest and best tip ever! When you plant a tree, you not only get clean air, but the entire ecosystem gets a boost. As a bonus, if you plant a tree like mango or coconut, you get to enjoy the fruits of labour, literally! If you live in an apartment you can ask all children to participate in this noble task.
And what’s more, green is good for the eyes too!
2) Unplug electrical appliances when not in use
Something most of us are aware of, yet fail to follow! We hardly unplug electrical appliances especially phones and laptops when they are fully charged or switched off. Do you know this causes a 10% increase in your electricity bill?
Reduce your carbon footprint, start this on Earth Day!
3) Recycle at work
Not just recycle at work, you can cycle to work too! 😛
(Well, it might be difficult to cycle in jam-packed Indian cities, but at least you can car-pool).
Do not unnecessarily take printouts. Any content you buy for office like printer papers, notepads etc. can be bought from recycled materials which will make also make your staff eco-conscious.
4) Buy Green gifts
Gifting someone you love? Buy eco-friendly gifts like plant saplings, jute bags and stun them. We’ve done an earlier post on eco-friendly gifts, you can choose ideas from here.
After all, who would say no to eco-friendly gifts?
5) Say ‘NO’ to plastic
In spite of an official ban on plastics in many places, many of us continue to use plastic bags when we purchase groceries, clothes and so on. Carry jute or cloth bags wherever you go, be it groceries, malls or medicines. Carry stuff in your own bag and set an example! Fabfurnish has some amazing eco-friendly products. You can check them out and also buy discounted eco-friendly gifts from them.
6) Repair leaking faucets at home
Project Sunlight, undertaken by Hindustan Unilever Limited, had an interesting concept where children were made water saviors and taught adults how to fix dripping taps, leaking faucets etc.
Do not wait for kids to tell you your responsibilities! Start fixing it yourself.
7) Maintain a vegetable garden
You can do it! Even if you have little space, start a veggies garden. Do not give up if your plants die from too little or too much water. Weeds, insects, you will have it all! Yet, at the end of the day, nothing is more satisfying than a meal cooked with fresh veggies from your own garden.
Do give it a try.
8) Use power saving bulbs
As much as possible, allow natural lighting into your homes. There are other more efficient types of lighting available, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), light LEDs and fluorescent lights. Make sure you replace your regular bulbs with them and save up to 15% on your bills.
That’s it, folks! We’ve given you some simple yet powerful ideas to do your bit this Earth Day. Please make it a point to follow them.
More on the NASA Global selfie
Well, this is what the NASA selfie is all about!
On Earth Day 2014, people were asked to click a selfie of themselves and a “Global Selfie” was created– the final image was released on World Earth Day with people from over 100 countries pouring in their selfies. Do you know it is 3.2 Gigapixels? Go check it out for yourself here. Have fun! http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/155294