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The current world population is 7.9 billion. If each one of us made a small change in improving the earth, it would truly make a difference. April 22^nd was Earth Day and the theme for 2022 was Invest in Our Planet. Although I am talking about it after the day, I do believe that Earth Day is every day. According to the organizers of earthday.org, Earth Day is not a day, it is a movement.  

Below are some examples listed in the CDC of the impact of climate change on human health:

• Air pollution –increase in asthma and heart disease
• Severe weather – causes injuries and has mental health impacts
• Extreme heat – causes heat-related illnesses and death as well as heart disease
• Water and food supply – causes malnutrition and diarrheal disease

Earthday.org has produced a list of 52 ways you can invest in our planet. You can look over the list and submit an action. Can you imagine if 7.9 billion people did one thing? Maybe I am overly ambitious. I know if each of you who are reading this blog did one thing, we would be closer to making the world a better place for us to live and our future generation. Never underestimate what you can do.

I intentionally make a change each year. Here are some of the changes I have made over the years.

1. I bought a stainless steel water bottle. I fill up my water bottle before I leave for work. This way I avoid having to look for plastic water bottles. My drink also stays cold. I find this is also useful when I travel.  This way I can buy water in the gallon and fill up my water bottle.
2. Reusable grocery bags. Everything was on hold during Covid, Most stores now are allowing you to use the bags. Keep some in your car so you do not forget.
3. I use regular stainless steel utensils for my packed lunch. I no longer use plastic forks or knives for lunch.
4. I have transitioned from plastic containers to glass containers for packing my lunch as well as leftovers. Once I learned that it was not safe to microwave plastic, I stopped packing any lunch items that needs to be microwaved in plastic.
5. I use reusable snack bags for my fruits. My daughter introduced me to stashers. These are a little pricey but I find they work the best compared to the others in the market. I put snacks like grapes or sliced apples in a stasher snack bag. These bags can be washed by hand or through the dishwasher.
6. This year, I will work on transitioning my bills to paperless. I am still old school,  but I know it is time and the paper can be used for other items.

I am hoping you will look at the list and find an action item that resonates with you.