This Earth Day we are being asked to help reduce the use of plastic – it’s not hard to do
By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Content Agency
Taking the Kids
Ready to take the challenge?
Earth Day is coming up April 22 and EarthDay.org is urging all of us to join the #plasticdetox challenge and reduce plastic use.
That’s easy to do when you travel. Use reusable water bottles. Encourage the kids to slap stickers on them from the places you have visited. Carry reusable totes rather than use plastic bags. They make great souvenirs too. Avoid straws. Pack lunches and snacks in reusable containers.
“ Plastics are a danger to people and all living creatures,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of EarthDay.org, “We are all ingesting and inhaling microplastics. They are everywhere. Are we just hoping they are safe or is even the remotest possibility they might be toxic so terrifying that we can’t contemplate it?”
Scary stuff. Microplastics, as well as the additive chemicals used to make plastics, are essentially tiny specks of plastic, typically smaller than a grain of rice. According to a new study posted on Earthday.org, the full extent of the health risks associated with microplastics is not fully understood but evidence is mounting that they pose potentially serious health risks, especially for babies and infants.
There is evidence that babies ingest more microplastics when they are crawling, teething, and putting everything into their mouths. Microplastic exposure, the report says, could affect many of the major organ systems in a developing child.
Even worse, there are more plastics now than ever with production increasing rapidly, which is why EarthDay.org is calling for a 60 percent reduction in plastic production by 2040.
Show off your eco-friendly swaps, creative ideas, and sustainable choices on social media. Inspire others to join the Plastic Detox Challenge by raising awareness about plastic pollution and its harmful effects.
Since the very first Earth Day in 1970, more than a billion people have been mobilized in more than 190 countries to protect the planet. EarthDay.org– has developed a“How to Do Earth Day 2024” toolkit.
Visit the official Earth Day 2024 webpage to stay updated on upcoming events, initiatives, and opportunities to make a difference.
Join EarthDay.org’s Great Global Cleanup. There are many events. As you travel this spring and summer, you will find sustainability efforts front and center everywhere from cruise ships to all inclusive resorts to national parks and airlines.
For example, Grand Velas Los Cabos has launched a new Adopt-a- Plant program for children in the hope that visiting kids will learn lessons in stewardship. The resort will even send photos via email so the kids can see how their plants grow.
Hilton reports that it “has met its initial waste reduction goal of reducing its landfill waste intensity among its managed hotels ahead of its original 2030 target, and continues to remain committed to further reducing waste across our hotel portfolio. Several programs and partnerships have contributed to this success, including the transition to full-size bath amenities and recycling the bottles, digital keys rather than plastic and reusable drinking bottles and refill stations at more than 2,400 hotels.)
Slovenia, meanwhile, is the world’s first entirely green destination ( Slovenia – A sustainable country in the heart of Europe | I feel Slovenia ) with one-third of Slovenian territory in a protected area.
Also, most zoos have adopt-an-animal programs which help support conservation efforts. To encourage families to connect with nature, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums has developed a Family Nature Play & You e-guide to help families connect with nature and help children understand why they must be good stewards of the environment. Nature play increases self-esteem, improves psychological health and reduces stress.
Victoria, the waterfront capital of British Columbia, takes sustainability to another level as an international leader in environmental initiatives, ecological well-being, and driving and supporting the community’s economic development. In honor of this year’s theme, it will focus on the issues surrounding plastic pollution and the need to reduce fast fashion.
As the environmental impacts of over-consumption become apparent worldwide, Victoria, with the largest number of resale businesses per capita in Canada, is now known as The Resale Capital of Canada.
Download the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch consumer guides to find sustainable seafood. There are regional guides, as well as one for sushi. Many fish are in trouble because of destructive fishing and farming. You can make a difference by making more responsible choices.
San Francisco’s Randall Museum will host Bug Day on April 20 and will celebrate everything insect with hands-on science and art activities, games, live music, movies and more. Here’s the chance to eat a bug, dress like a bug and watch beekeepers at work, all in the spirit of showing kids (and their parents) what an important role bugs play on our planet.
Stay at an eco-friendly hotel that has earned certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the US Green Building Council. USA Today lauds Hotel South Beach in Miami with its electric house car, natural bath products and monthly Dark Sky events to raise awareness of global brightening.
TripAdvisor now has a GreenLeaders program where they clarify if a hotel is eco-friendly. Search for the Eco-Leaders Badge on the listing page of the hotel and click to see the eco-initiatives. You can also use a booking platform dedicated to sustainability like ecohotels.com or bookdifferent.com, according to the Good TravelGuide. FairBNB.com in Europe donates half its income to local environmental and social projects while tiny house stays, cabins, and glamping tents also tend to have smaller environmental footprints.
Seek out farmers markets and restaurants that have sourced their food locally. More than ever, they are promoting those efforts. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has a state by state resource for finding local foods.
On our recent trip to Barbados, we had one of our best meals on a terrace overlooking the ocean at Local & Co, which promises that the menu is changed constantly, “depending on the crops, weather conditions and chef’s mood.” The restaurant supports organic farmers and sources and forages for wild foods, working with producers, farmers, fishermen and butchers to do whatever they can “to help maintain the health of our oceans, soils and food communities.”
Think farm seasonal crudites with beetroot hummus, pumpkin and coconut soup (buy a soup and you will be giving soup to a local family in need), breadfruit gnocchi, the catch of the day and homemade ice creams and sorbets. More banana ice cream, please!
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)
©2024 Eileen Ogintz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.