April is Earth Month and a time to reflect upon and care for the wonderful planet that is our shared home. This month, your challenge is to help create a healthier world by making some changes to your daily routine and lifestyle. Are you up for the challenge?

Choose three activities to make your difference during Earth Month. Three winners will be chosen according to their choices and commitment. Along with recognition at our club's EAC booth at the district convention, prizes will be awarded at the end of the month. Let's show our district how our club is committed to environmental care!

TRANSPORTATION

  1. Get to work or to your Rotary meeting without a car! At least once a week, use your bike, walk or take transit to work or our meeting when you would usually drive. WHY this action matters: carbon emissions from vehicles contribute to climate change, so using alternate modes of transport reduces your carbon footprint.
HOUSEHOLD
  1. Cut out toxic cleaning chemicals from your home. Make your own cleaning products with vinegar and baking soda OR buy ready-made products that consist of plant-based materials or are certified organic. Use washable and reusable cloths for cleaning instead of disposable products. WHY this action matters: surfactants and sulphates used in disinfectants and general cleaners break down into hormone-disrupting agents for wildlife; antibacterial agents have made their way into 58% of our streams; indoor air pollution can be 2 to 6 times worse than outdoors
  2. Compost kitchen scraps.  WHY this action matters: composting is part of the earth's biological cycle of growth and decay; keeps kitchen scraps out of landfill waste where organic material rots and is wasted.
  3. Unplug appliances not in use: computers, phone chargers, TVs. WHY this action matters: appliances still use energy when on standby;eg. a computer can use up to 12 times as much energy in sleep mode than when it is completely turned off
  4. Reduce waste: decrease your weekly garbage for pick-up to one household size bag for every two people.  WHY this action matters: reduced material sent to landfills, reuses materials and reduces need for more production and consumption of new items
GARDEN
  1. Use composted organic materials to replenish soil rather than manufactured chemical fertilizers.  WHY this action matters: runoff from chemical fertilizers pollutes our streams and oceans and negatively effects wildlife that consume these waters; the salt base causes pH imbalance in the soil; chemicals are toxic to human beings
  2. Collect rainwater in a rain barrel for use in watering lawns, flowers, car washing. WHY this action matters: conserves drinking water; using non chlorinated water keeps from adding further chemicals to the environment
CONSUMING
  1. Use good reusable cloth bags for all your shopping. WHY this action matters: 99% of plastic bags are not recycled but end up polluting the environment; oil is needed to produce plastic bags; animals are killed by eating plastic bags; more energy is consumed producing a plastic bag than a reusable one
  2. Avoid buying anything new for a month: reuse, borrow, swap, buy second hand, host a swap party (upcycling).  WHY this action matters: producing goods and transporting them uses large quantities of natural resources, creates air and water pollution and increases our carbon footprint; North American consumer habits have major environmental impacts
  3. Buy local foods, eat in-season foods grown and processed close to home.  WHY this action matters: the thousands of kms traveled to import foods contributes tremendously to greenhouse gases; supporting local agriculture promotes local jobs that require less commuting
YOUR CHALLENGE: choose three or more of the listed activities and let us know what you do. Be creative! Points will be assigned according to the challenges chosen and completed and winners will be chosen by your Environmental Advisory Committee.