Earth Day is an annual event to show support for environmental conservation and protection. Every year on April 22, thousands of people go outside and volunteer to pick up trash, plant gardens, or simply enjoy the nature around them. It’s a day completely dedicated to the Earth. But, why should this be limited to just one day a year? The truth is, the Earth deserves to be taken care of every day of the year because it’s running out of time; we’re running out of time. We are in the midst of a worldwide climate crisis. The majority of fossil fuel emissions come from large corporations, and a lot of the time it seems as if there’s little that the people can do, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on trying to help. 

Change always happens faster when we have each other. When everyone takes action for the benefit of our planet, change is much easier and we can truly make a difference. Here are 5 simple things you can do to do your part:

1.Volunteer

This can be organizing a litter cleanup, joining a pre-existing one, or volunteering for organizations that are hosting opportunities to help the environment. Raleigh Parks is one that often holds opportunities like this, and these can be found on their website at https://raleighnc.gov/parks-volunteer. In addition to cleanups, they also host invasive species removal opportunities, where participants can use hand saws or loppers to remove invasive plants from an area. For those who don’t want to get their hands dirty, there are also volunteer opportunities such as joining environmental activist groups or writing letters to local legislators asking for change. It can be difficult to know whether or not a nonprofit is trustworthy; Linked here is an article that lists several trustworthy environmental nonprofits. 

2. Pick up Trash Around School

Enloe High School is home to a very polluted campus. According to a survey conducted, 89.7% of students said they’ve seen someone litter at Enloe. Custodians should not be responsible for students’ litter. One easy thing you can do is pick up trash if you see it. It doesn’t take a long time, and you’re making someone’s job a lot easier. Enloe also has recycling bins available in all classrooms as well as bottle-only recycling bins located in the west gym lobby and the cafeteria. Please utilize these bins and make sure to properly dispose of your trash. No trash should be going into the recycling bins and vice versa. If you actively see someone litter, pick up the trash and point them in the direction of the nearest trash bin.

3. Join Environmental Clubs

 Enloe also has several environmental clubs that are taking action to make our community better, not just as a school, but the world as a whole. These include:

• Enloe NCSSA (Student Sustainability Alliance)
• Enloe Marine Conservation Club
• SEEC (Student Environmental Education Coalition)
• Food Ark
• Earth and Environmental Club

It’s important to expand our knowledge of our planet’s environmental issues, and these clubs are a great way to educate yourself on these problems. Marine Conservation Club is currently hosting an Earth Day competition, where you can pick up trash at any location, snap a picture, and send the photos to their instagram @enloemcc to be entered in the competition. The person who picks up the most trash will win a box of Lofthouse cookies. Email [email protected] if you have any questions.

4. Make Green Habits a Part of Your Daily Life

There are several actions you can take to live a more sustainable lifestyle. It’s good to take small steps at a time to eventually build up to larger actions. An easy way to start is by saying to yourself, “I’m not going to use a plastic bag at the store today,” or “I’m going to conserve water when I can.” More green actions you can take are listed in this linked article.

5. Spread Awareness

So much of teen life is spent online, today. Social media is a wonderful hub for spreading awareness to important issues, like environmental ones. It’s very important to uplift those who are speaking out against global issues but it’s also important to inform your peers about them. Not everyone has access to information, which leaves many ignorant on important issues like these. That’s why it is so key to spread awareness in any way you can. Ask your teachers to include environmental issues in their classes. Repost infographics, or make your own on social media. Tell your friends about what you learned recently, or your parents. It’s important to make sure issues like these are being addressed. You can help with that. Finally, voting matters most of all, so make sure to register to vote as soon as possible!