Earth Day 2020 During Coronavirus Period

Earth Day is officially here! With everything that has happened so far this year, including the ever-going and present Coronavirus, this is the perfect time to really think about how we can reduce our impact on the planet.

Though to be honest, the whole month of April should be the time to reduce our impact, but I won’t complain.

Anyway, since the outbreak, I’ve been taking several measures to ensure that I’m safe and healthy and that includes multiple hand washings and social distancing. But since Florida hasn’t gone under an official quarantine, I’ve been visiting my favorite park to unwind and stay calm. Being around in nature helps remind me of how beautiful it can be and how it can really help my mental health overall.

My journey to reducing waste started years ago and I’ve been adapting to the mindset ever since, but with the virus and the bad news, it has been much harder to stay the course. However, I have seen some positive changes overall to our planet:

– emissions have dropped significantly due to people staying indoors (mostly in China during Jan. and Feb.)

– certain animal populations are thriving in natural environments due to very little human activity

– water sources are somewhat cleaner and with less pollution

In a way, this makes me happy because it seems like Earth is getting a break from us and is recovering once more. I’ve been doing my part in reducing waste by using a stainless steel water bottle, a metal straw, using soap bars and shampoo bars, and much more methods. Sometimes it can feel like my efforts are for naught, but I do the best that I can and that’s what matters to me the most.

To the ones who are already living low waste, slow living lifestyles, I admire you and continue doing what you do. To anyone wishing to reduce waste, there are plenty of sources online to help you get started and many like-minded people to encourage you in the right direction. I will continue to do my part in reducing waste and trying to make natural environments places of solitude for myself and others.

Happy Earth Day and please stay safe as you continue to care for our planet. Take a deep breath of fresh air and know that your efforts are worth something and the planet is benefiting from them.