Make a Difference on Earth Day!

April 21, 2015

On April 22, 2015, people all over the world will celebrate the 45^th anniversary of Earth Day to raise awareness about environmental issues and inspire individuals to “think globally and act locally.”

Today, the environmental problems facing the world are enormous, but it’s not too late to affect change. Each of us has the power through our daily decisions and lifestyle choices to make our homes and communities more environmentally friendly.

DCTA is a proud supporter of Earth Day and encourages community members to wise choices about how you live and the amount of energy and natural resources you consume. Here are DCTA’s top five methods for improving the environment that we call home:

1. Drive Less. Every time you leave your car at home you reduce air pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Make a commitment to leave your car keys at home and use mass transportation more often.
2. Simply Recycle. The average person generates over four pounds of garbage every day – of which 75 percent is recyclable. By regularly recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminum, you can drastically reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators.
3. Go Reusable. Producing plastic bags uses a lot of natural resources and more than a trillion of those bags end up as litter that clutters landscapes, clogs waterways, and kills thousands of marine mammals. Trade in those plastic bags for reusable bags to make a change.
4. Embrace Paperless. Many banks, utilities and other businesses now offer their customers the option of paying bills online. By paying your bills online you can save time and money, lower the administrative costs of companies and reduce global warming by helping to prevent deforestation.
5. Turn it Off. Remembering to turn off lights and electronics when they are not in use will save electricity and reduce global warming.

No matter how you choose to live a greener life, DCTA encourages you to embrace small changes that can make a big impact for the environment. As Jane Goodall, said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

 – Jim Cline, DCTA President

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