5 WAYS TO MAKE THIS EARTH DAY COUNT
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EVERY DROP COUNTS
Every little action adds up, so small things like getting your leaky faucet fixed can save at least 5,500 litres of water a year. According to Waterwise, that’s enough water to fill a paddling pool every week for the whole summer. If you turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, it saves six litres of water per minute – you can save around 12 to 18 litres every time you brush your teeth.
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CREATE A GREEN HOUSE
No home is too small to start a mini garden. “My friend always says that your balcony is bigger than you realize,” says Westernberg. Think vertical by filling in your windowsill with stacking herbs, or use hanging baskets on the wall to increase growing area. “Speak to the gardener selling you [the plants or seeds] about how often to water it, where to put it, and when to expect it to bloom. It requires some experimentation,” says Westenberg. You can even grow a plant out of an old pencil stub. Sprout Pencil has a seed capsule inside it. You can use it like you would any normal pencil; when it becomes too small to use, you plant and water it. The seed germinates once you water it a few times, and you can leave the remaining pencil shaft in the ground as a position marker or take it out and watch your seed grow into flowers, herbs or veggies. Funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Sprout Pencil is available to buy at Amazon.
Give new life to old pencils with Sput Pencil.
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HOW ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE Kelly Lovell, who had just come back from attending the Oscars in Los Angeles when we interviewed her, is a pioneer for protecting the environment. From fundraising to building schools in Africa, serving as a National Youth Delegate and launching volunteerism projects, Lovell is a dedicated mentor and founder of My Clean City, a program that collaborates with environmentally committed organizations to engage youth with volunteer actions. “It’s run by youth for youth, and it caters to the twenty-first century volunteer,” says Lovell, who uses social media to get youth involved. “From my own experience I found that there’s quite a bit of disconnect between youth and community resources, because a lot of the time we lack awareness of what’s already existing within our community, or we lack the motivation to get involved.” My Clean City wants to show that community involvement can be fun, with “Clean Teens” engaging in activities like planting trees, doing compost gardens, community cleanups, and water conservation activities to earn “clean creds.” Lovell was the recipient of the Women’s Executive Network’s 2013 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards last year. Just 21 at the time, Lovell is the youngest person to receive this honour. She’s also an Ontario Provincial Change the World Youth Ambassador, and a recipient of the QEII Diamond Jubilee medal.
VIVAMAGONLINE.COM / EARTH ISSUE 2014
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