In honor of Earth day, I’m sharing this MUST SEE documentary that’s currently streaming on Apple TV.

It’s called, “ The Year the Earth Changed. ” It’s a nature film from 2021 about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on nature that resulted.

I had several takeaways but won’t spoil it  for you by sharing them all.

My biggest takeaways were:

  • It only took a few weeks for our waters to become cleaner! Weeks!
  • Watching a 30-year old man see the Himalayan mountains for the first time in his life (previously, they were hidden by smog and pollution).
  • Witnessing our wildlife regenerate itself and be able to protect their young without our incessant human interference.
  • Finally, I could see how easily we could contribute to the protection and preservation of our planet if each one of us made small, consistent changes in our lives.

Want some ideas that you can do?

Here’s ten (10) things we’ve implemented in our family to reduce our carbon footprint. Perhaps some might speak to you!

  1. At least once a week, we have a no-car day.
  2. We no longer buy plastic water bottles. Instead, each of our family members has a refillable water bottle that we use over and over.
  3. We recycle every piece of plastic, metal, glass, and paper that comes into our home.
  4. We won’t purchase anything that is packed in styrofoam at the grocery store (since it can’t break down).
  5. We say no 🙅‍♀️ to plastic straws and plastic utensils when offered for takeout food. Instead, we use metal or paper straws. We keep regular silverware (fork/knife/spoon)  and metal straws in a bag in the glove box of our cars to use if needed – one utensil for each member of our family. Then if we use them, we clean them and replace them back in the car.
  6. We don’t use plastic bags. Even though NJ has banned the use of plastic bags, some stores still use them. And some items like bread and other groceries are packed in plastic bags. So, we simply recycle everything.
  7. We take advantage of our county’s recycling events ♻️ where we can safely discard electronics and other hazardous materials. (Ie., for electronics – computers, phone cords, strings of lights, extension cords, space heaters, fans, appliances, etc.). Plus, there are hazardous waste collection events for things like medicines, paints, oils, chemicals, cleaning supplies, and other poisonous things.
  8. We compost. We not only keep excess out of our landfills, but we get rich, beautiful soil to use every season, for free!
  9. Finally, we don’t use chemicals or pesticides on our property. This keeps chemicals from spilling into the drains, which then go into our waterways and eventually into us. 🤒
  10. We use sites like “Trash-Nothing” which allow us to offer items to others for free and keep our unwanted items out of our landfills. (Trash Nothing used to be called “Freecycle.”)

What changes might you implement, or have you already implemented to create more sustainable living?  Please hit reply and share them with me. The more we share the cleaner we make our planet.

And, I believe, the healthier we’ll all be as a result!

Again, click the link below to watch the trailer of “The Year the Earth Changed.”

I hope you’ll decide to watch the entire thing. It’s a 48 minute watch.

Enjoy!

Watch the Trailer here

xo

Chris