Celebrate Earth Every Day

Theme of 2024 Earth Day — Planet vs. Plastics

April 22, is Earth Day, a date celebrated worldwide today. This year's theme is Planet vs. Plastics, which advocates reducing plastic dependence. Earth Day includes a wide range of events coordinated globally and celebrated by up to 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. 

It seems that every day should be celebrated this way.

Gaylord Nelson

How it all began. The start of environmental activism, Earth Day, dates back 55 years. It was started by the late Wisconsin U.S. senator and governor Gaylord Nelson, a conservationist and who was recognized as one of the world’s foremost environmental leaders. Nelson organized the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 enlisting the help of Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student and activist, to organize campus teach-ins and expand the conservation movemen. The event was aimed at educating people about environmental issues and ways to conserve. The date of April 22, sandwiched it between spring break and final exams to maximize student participation. Nelson died in July 2005.

Earth Day strengthened the call for environmental activism, which led to the introduction of two laws. The Clean Air Act (1970) is a comprehensive Federal law that regulates all sources of air emissions. The Endangered Species Act (1973) provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad. 

This past weekend, I read several online articles about how to reduce the use of consumables especially plastics and paper as well as posts from fellow bloggers on what they're doing.

Reducing plastics in our home has been underway. In recent weeks, I've been working to reduce the use of plastics and paper as well. These have been small ways, but starting somewhere is better than not. 

Our pantry housed some reusable Rubbermaid® plastic food containers, which were purchased a number of years ago and have held up well  considering their age, but due to aging, the plastic lids were subject to cracking when pressed down. They were taking up space and hardly in use and I switched to glass storage containers, washable, reusable and non-plastic, except for the lids. The former plastic containers left the pantry and went to the recycle bin.

If anyone reading this post has good (or bad) experiences using any of these (maybe all?): wool dryer balls, detergent dryer sheets and microfiber cloths, I am interested in your comments.

Starting with wool dryer balls to replace the use of fabric softener and dryer sheets. I've been using hard plastic ball for the past few years along with limited use of liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets. Reading many recent articles, it seems that wool dryer balls, tightly woven balls of felted wool, have become very popular and when used in the clothes drying cycle can replace both commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

Benefits of dryer balls  . . .

Those I've read about include: faster drying time, eliminates static, fragrance free, eco-friendly and sustainable, non-toxic, biodegradable, natural fabric softener, quieter than other types of dryer balls and, unlike dryer sheets, they are reusable so reduce the environmental impact. Best yet, once a natural wool dryer ball reaches the end of its lifespan, it takes much less time to decompose than a polyester dryer sheet. They are expected to last 1,000 or more loads and replacement is recommended when the outer layer starts to come apart

Staying on the subject of laundry, a necessary chore for all, there's laundry detergent sheets and while I bought a small packet of to use on our travels, I haven't made a switch to home use. My usual practice has been to buy a large detergent container and refill a smaller bottle, which is easier to take to the laundry room. There's no washer/dryer setups in each apartment, instead there's a central laundry rooms on each floor, thankfully, the laundry room is very close to our apartment. 

Do laundry sheets work as well as liquid detergent? There's a lot of pros to support their use. Some online stories claim they are just as effective in fighting stains, removing dirt and grime and preventing clothes from fading as their liquid or powder counterparts.They are take up less storage space, making them ideal for individuals with limited storage areas for apartment dwellers like us.

A plus is that they come in pre-measured, easily dissolvable sheets, eliminating the need for measuring and the risk of spillage. Detergent sheets seem to be environmentally friendly with reduced packaging, leading to less plastic waste compared to liquid detergent bottles. The concentrated form requires less water for production and transportation, reducing the overall carbon footprint. Detergent sheets are space-efficient occupying less storage space compared to large detergent bottles, ideal for those with limited storage.

Some cons to laundry detergent sheets. The sheets may also fail to tackle tough stains and odors as they lack space for active ingredients like enzymes and cleaning agents, commonly found in liquid detergents. Some may not dissolve in all water temperatures causing uneven distribution of detergent. Many of the detergent sheets are subscription-based, which can make it difficult for some to purchase them. While Amazon and other online shopping sites makes it easier to buy these products, many may not be available in stores. Finally, the sheets can be more expensive than liquid detergents, which often go on sale at local grocery stores or have available coupons.

Microfiber Towels. I've been using some of these limited household chores, mainly dusting furniture. But admit to buying paper towels for kitchen use. The flat-top stove is usually cleaned with soap and water and then paper towers sprayed with vodka (the least expensive brand). It really does cut grease, among other household used. It can also be used for drink mixing.

Pros to microfiber towels is that they can be washed a thousand times before losing its effectiveness, it lasts longer than cotton and is said to be more absorbent, uses less water and chemicals than cotton mops and cloths. Also, the tiny fibers pick up more dirt and food residue than most cloths.

Cons to microfiber use. The biggest concern regarding microfiber is microplastic pollution. This occurs because all microfiber products can shed the microscopic microfibers in the wash and can make their way to the ocean.

Plastic Bags. The state we're living in, NH, allows the use of plastic bags at grocery stores. In total, there are more than 500 citywide ordinances banning plastic bags in the U.S., as well as 12 statewide bans on single-use plastic bag bans — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. We have tote bags which were being used until you-know-what when stores here would not allow them. We still use cloth tote bags for short trips, especially when buying anything at a BJ's wholesale store, which doesn't provide any bags, but always has discarded boxes for customers to use.

When we do get plastic bagged groceries, we use them for trash disposal instead of buying the very large plastic trash bags. If we return to using tote bags we would need to buy trash bags.

Biodegradable more eco-friendly than compostable? 

When a packaging company says that a product is biodegradable, what's meant is that it will break down when placed in a land fill.  Compostable means something different. Often, what a packaging company means when their product is “compostable” is that it can be turned into compost. Since it’s broken down into its natural elements, it causes no harm to the environment. The breakdown process usually takes about 90 days. Composting is a faster process, but only under the right conditions. Both of these types of products are better for the environment than plastic counterparts that can take hundreds of years to disintegrate.

Your Turn — Do You have pros or cons to any of these products ?

If so, please share in the comments. Your opinions are valued vs. online reviews