April 22 is Earth Day, and this year’s theme is Invest in the Planet.From ecoenclose.com, Kathleen Rogers, president of earthday.org, said the following to help establish the foundation of the theme. ìIn 2022, we all must enter into one partnership for the planet. People, governments, and even most businesses fear change, but the status quo ó the way we live today ó is changing before our eyes. In building our future, individuals, businesses, governments each have a unique role ó we need to act individually and together.îThrough climate change, humans have irrevocably upset the balance of nature ó now, species are undergoing the greatest extinction rate in more than 60 million years.Carbon emissions are one of the top contributors to climate change, and a carbon footprint is an individual’s contribution to the overall carbon emissions. According to Nature.org, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gasses (including carbon dioxide and methane) generated by peopleís actions. The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. Individuals can calculate their own carbon footprint at https://www.footprintcalculator.org.Lowering oneís carbon footprint includes eliminating as many cheap, disposable, single-use, non-sustainable goods possible; eat less meat; turn down the thermostat; start composting; recycle; join a cleanup effort; buy local; and start a garden.According to epa.gov, the average automobile emits 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Driving automobiles creates tailpipe greenhouse emissions. Thus, the quantity of emissions from a car or truck depends on how much someone drives, the vehicle’s fuel efficiency and how people drive (e.g., the amount of time spent idling in traffic). Minimizing travel and driving conservatively will help reduce the vehicle carbon footprint.In addition, the more people recycle, the amount of waste sent to landfills is reduced, as well as the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that result from the processing of raw materials.Rogers said, ìUnlike other historic economic revolutions, this time there are two additional imperatives: the first is to save ourselves from the climate crisis, and the second is to build new green economies in every country so that everyone can share in the benefits from this green revolution. This will only be done if we invest in our planetís future together.î
