community – Health4earth

World Environment Day

Below is from the Carbon Almanac:

How can you use less plastic? #BeatPlasticPollution

June 5th is World Environment Day
Today is World Environment Day, an international observance that began in 1973 and held annually ever since.This year’s theme continues to focus on plastic and the goal is to #BeatPlasticPollution.
Did you know that:Less than 10% of plastic is recycled? The rest end up in landfills or waterways.There are more microplastics (plastic less than 5mm in diameter) in our waterways than there are stars in our galaxy?We ingest microplastics from the food we eat and the air we breathe?A global treaty to end plastic pollution is currently being negotiated, with the second round of discussions happening in August.
Consider taking a count of the number of single use plastic items you use in a day or a week. And then consider what alternatives exist to help reduce that number or eliminate your single plastic use altogether.
We can all take action. Together.

Happy World Environment Day!

Overshoot Day

WE consume too much stuff, use too much plastic, and create too much garbage. Our consumerism fuels Overshoot Day, but also all our driving around and wasting more fossil fuels than what we need.

Consuming less is good for our air and our water, and over consumption contributes to our climate crisis. We all need to be responsible for the trash we create, but the producers of so much packaging also needs to be held responsible.

Consuming and wasting less is the key!

Today is the day after Earth Overshoot Day. But what does that mean for you?

Earth Overshoot Day is the date when humanity depletes all the natural resources that the Earth can regenerate in the year. So as of today August 2, we are living at a deficit. We are consuming more resources than we can replace.

This metric from the Global Footprint Network is a striking reminder of the importance of taking care of the planet and using resources responsibly. However, it can also serve as inspiration to take action. Individual actions can make a difference to help #MoveTheDate!

What YOU can do to help?

Buy less and reuse instead of purchasing something new.

Reduce your food waste.

Have SMALL families.

Reuse, Reuse, Reuse! A good place to start is by trying to reduce unnecessary purchases, opt for sustainable products, and reuse items whenever possible.

We all need to waste less, and work together to lift up our Earth.

Reading List:

Aug 1, Overshoot Day

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/earth-overshoot-day-2024-how-to-make-the-best-of-this-important-benchmark/ar-BB1qUlt6?ocid=BingNewsSerp

A Clean and Healthful Environment

It is up to all of us to create a healthy environment.

Do we have a right to a clean and healthful environment?

A Montana state judge sided with 16 young people in the country’s first ever constitutional climate case. The judge ruled that youth had a right to a healthy environment. This trial comes after state lawmakers passed legislation that allowed fossil fuel projects to be permitted without considering the climate impact and greenhouse gas emissions from their legislation causing harm and injury to Montana’s youth— a violation of their state constitutional right to a ‘clean and healthful environment.’

This should be a message to all of us. We all need to work to create a “clean and healthful environment” for our youth and for all of us. Everyday, we need to reduce our fossil fuels by driving less, buying less, not idling our cars, and reducing our use of plastic.

According to NOAA, Earth has just experienced the hottest July in 174 years of records, and the hottest eight Julys in the past eight years.

We all have experienced “Global Burning” and tragic weather events causing much loss of life and destruction. We must work together for a more stable future environment with clean air and clean water.

If everybody does a little it adds up to a lot! We all want to live in healthy communities, and everyone must do their part.

‘Gamechanger’ Ruling for Young Climate Activists in Historic Montana Trial

Is the judge’s ruling coming too late for some of our young adults? https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20230817/cancer-rates-rise-among-people-under-age-50

Montana Youth Sued Their Government Over Climate Change and Won. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

Celebrating Our Beautiful Earth

What are you looking forward to this April?

Every Day is Earth Day!

April is earth month. Do one thing each day to make the world a cleaner kinder place. Sign up here to do an Earth Month Challenge: Earth Month Ecochallenge 2023: Sustainable Development Goals – Home Page

Here are some other ideas:

My Earth month suggestions and the things I do most days are to purchase less junk, reduce my plastic use, pick up litter, and work hard to end food waste.

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint – A Year of Living Better Guides – The New York Times (nytimes.com) Drive less, reduce meat consumption, don’t waste food, and be a wise consumer.

Five things we learned from the new climate report Five things we’ve learned from UN climate report – BBC News

This Is the Make-or-Break Decade for Climate Action, IPCC Warns

New IPCC Report Shows the ‘Climate Time Bomb Is Ticking,’ Says UN Secretary General António Guterres

This month calendar has lots of ideas to be healthy and active. Add picking up litter and being kind to your daily activities.

Letter to the Startribune editorial page: While it is exciting that spring is coming, now is the also the time we see all the trash that has been snow-covered during our long winter. In this state of 10,000 lakes and many beautiful rivers, too much of this trash will end up polluting our waters if not cleaned up. I urge all reading this to do your part, and encourage others, too, to pick up as much trash as you are willing and able. If you are a homeowner, perhaps you can start with the trash in the street in front of your house. Perhaps carry a bag while walking and pick some up while exercising. Anything is a start and appreciated. Dave Councilman, St. Louis Park

What are you looking forward to this April? Enjoy, and make it worthwhile!

Positive January

The Actions for Happiness group has many good ideas to add positive energy to your days for this January.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/staying-hopeful-in-a-cynical-time#details

Buy Nothing!

World Kindness Day!

November 13, is World Kindness Day

Kindness creates a ripple of more kindness. Spread it now!

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-celebrate-world-kindness-day

Random Acts of Kindness

Do a random act of kindness.

Pledge to yourself that you will do at least one random act of kindness each day. While these actions might seem small, that doesn’t make them any less important.

You’d be surprised how picking up litter, leaving a review for a favorite local business, or writing a thank you note to a teacher can make a positive impact on yourself and your community.

We’ve even compiled a list of over 100 ideas to practice random acts of kindness — check it out!

Ideas for kindness and happiness from Actions for Happiness:

Clean a Storm Drain

June is Clean a Storm Drain month. It is also World Oceans Month. Keeping storm drains clean keeps trash and pollutants from entering our oceans and waterways that drain into the oceans.

If everyone does a little it adds up to a lot! Collective action matters.

Storm drains feed directly into our local lakes and rivers, unfiltered, so it’s important to keep them clear for cleaner and healthier waterways. June is an important time to keep the seeds, grass and sticks that are collecting on our streets and sidewalks out of our storm drains. While they might be “natural” debris they become pollution when large quantities hit the water, break down, and become food for algae.

Sweep Up and Clean Up. Be part of a community effort for clean water! Thank you.

Adopt a storm drain at https://adopt-a-drain.org/

World Oceans Day 2022: 5 Things You Can Do to Save the Ocean

Make May Meaningful

Working together, if everyone does a small part it can add up to a big whole.

May is an exciting month. The days are getting longer, and after a cold spring the changes in nature will be enormous and fast. I hope you can get outside every day and enjoy the beauty of the plants, birds, and butterflies of our planet.

Early blooming native plants. Enjoy!

If you breathe, you should care about clean air. The wild fires have begun, and people are driving their cars, using lawn mowers, blowers and spreading chemicals. All these things contribute to dirty air.

How can we make May meaningful? You can choose to do some of these things to help create clean air for all of us.

-Never idle your car engine. Turn off your car when waiting or using your phone. Idle Threat: Turn Off Your Engine If You’re Waiting 10+ Seconds – Emagazine.com

-Participate in No Mow May No Mow May: 8 Reasons to Let Your Lawn Grow This Month – Bob VIla

-Plant natives and don’t use chemicals on your lawn. The Power of Trees – Health4earth

-Reduce your plastic footprint. The production of plastic pollutes our air, and plastic sheds chemical into our bodies and air. The burning of plastic in garbage burners creates more pollution! What is Microfibers Pollution and Why is It Bad? – Ocean Clean Wash

-May Ukraine find peace. Take three breaths for peace in Ukraine.

-Find meaningful activities at the Actions for Happiness calendar:

Peace for Ukraine

World Kindness 2021

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. This understanding has the power to bridge the gap between nations.

Make a special effort to be kind.

We all want to live in kind healthy communities. We want to live where we are respected and can thrive. Each of us can work for kinder environments by limiting the noise we create, picking up litter and after our dogs, sweeping our sidewalks, and listening and smiling more. How hard is that? We can create environments that are pleasant places to live. Kindness doesn’t cost any money! Kindness creates a ripple, it radiates out, and together we create happier and healthier places to live.