Around 380 million tons of single-use plastics are produced each year. These plastics are used for a few minutes and then thrown away, where they require hundreds of years to decay. While we cannot stop these wasteful practices completely, there are still ways we can help preserve our earth. This April 22 is Earth Day, so do your part and help keep the planet clean. 

1. Jellyfish or Grocery Bag, what’s the difference?

Oftentimes sea turtles confuse plastic grocery bags with their favorite snack, jellyfish. According to the Ocean Blue Project, over 1,000 sea turtles are killed each year due to false consumption. A simple solution is to use reusable grocery bags. So the next time you visit the grocery store, consider bringing a reusable bag to help reduce the five trillion plastic grocery bags humans use each year.

2. Save the turtles, use metal straws! 

Imagine finding a straw stuck in your body because that’s how some animals feel in the wild. To prevent this unnecessary torture, people should switch to metal straws which are reusable and easy to clean. They also provide metal scraps that can be melted and remolded into other materials unlike plastic. Next time you dine out, think about the turtles and bring your own metal straws.

3. Saving the earth one zip at a time 

At least 100,000 marine animals die by plastic Ziploc bags each year. Switching to reusable silicone bags reduces the chances of bags trapping or suffocating animals. Once in the ocean, organisms can consume microplastics broken down from the bags. These microplastics are hard to spot and clean from the ocean. Eventually, the plastic will navigate its way into our bodies. The next time you pack your lunch, consider using silicone bags to keep the plastic away from your body. 

4. Sweeten the earth with Beeswax Wrap

Plastic saran wrap often preserves food and helps with packaging, but in the environment, it becomes has the opposite affect. These single-use plastics become just another piece of plastic terrorizing the animals, destroying our Earth. But a simple and similar solution is Beeswax wrap. Beeswax wraps can package food just as well as saran wrap while providing more benefits to the environment. Not only is it reusable, but it’s also biodegradable and compostable. 

5. Staying grounded with Bamboo Utensils

To us, a plastic fork may seem harmless, but 700 species are at risk of extinction because of plastic utensils that litter and deface our Earth. Bamboo utensils offer a solution to this issue. They leave a smaller footprint on the world because they are biodegradable, compostable and recyclable.

So on this Earth day, or the next time you go to the grocery store, think about these tips as a guide to live a more sustainable life. We only have one planet Earth, so it’s our job to protect it from the increasing dangers of climate change and global warming. If we don’t act soon, there might not be much of Earth left to live on.