Region 1: New England

Earth Day

Earth Day is a great time not only to assess our accomplishments protecting the air, water and land, but also to look to what other steps we can each take to protect our families and environment.  In that spirit, here are ten simple ideas we can all put in place to promote a clean environment and healthy people:

• Replace old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs in your home with newer, long-lasting bulbs.  In the long run, you save money on energy bills and help produce fewer greenhouse gases.
• Don’t burn household debris and yard waste.  Backyard fire pits create emissions of hazardous smoke that can contain high levels of dioxins. Instead of burning yard waste, create a compost pile.
• Make sure that household chemicals and pesticides are securely stored safely out of reach of children and pets.
• If you’re shopping for a new car, consider a hybrid model.  Compared to similar cars, you’ll get better gas mileage and save money, and your car will produce fewer emissions that create air pollution (including greenhouse gases).
• Find out if your town offers safe disposal for household toxins.  Call your local city or town before disposing of old household chemicals, cleansers, fertilizer, motor oil, pesticides, batteries, paint or electronics.  This helps to keep potentially hazardous materials out of landfills and from contaminating our soil and water.
• When shopping for new appliances for your home, look for the Energy Star label.  Only products that are more energy efficient than their peers can earn an Energy Star label.  This will save you money on energy bills, help reduce demand on power plants and reduce emissions to the air.
• When using household cleaning products, pesticides or other chemical products, carefully read the label first to learn how to safely use the product.  Never use more than called for in the product’s instructions, and always follow any precautions – this will help protect your family, pets and the environment.
• Recycle everything you can: paper, cardboard, cans, plastic, glass - even electronics. Find out from your town or city which products they are able to recycle. 
• Reduce your time driving alone in your car. Carpool as much as possible; combine errands to minimize trips; take public transportation to work, or better yet ride a bicycle or walk. You’ll help reduce road congestion, and reduce emissions to the air.
• Plant a tree!  This gets you outside and doing physical activity.  Because trees take in and store carbon, a tree not only provides shade, habitat for birds and wildlife, and beauty, but is a thoughtful legacy left for future generations.

EPA Administrator's Earth Day Message