Celebrated worldwide, September 21 is Zero Emissions Day, and it aims to offer up a preview of what our world would be like without the emission of fossil fuels into our atmosphere.
What started as a call for a ‘global moratorium on fossil fuel combustion’ in 2008 in Nova Scotia, Canada, has led to an annual day of awareness of the impact our daily emissions have on the world. This includes emissions from the cars we drive, the materials we use, and the way the products we buy are made.
Although it’s impossible to permanently halt fossil fuel emissions forever in a single day, there’s a lot we can do to celebrate this important environmental moment.
Reduce the idle time in your car
If you find yourself stuck in the carpool line or even a slow-moving drive-thru, consider turning your car off while you wait. You may not realize it, but for every hour your car idles (and time adds up fast), you burn a half gallon of fuel. In monetary terms, idling just a few minutes each day could add up to several dollars wasted every week.
Other times to opt out of idling include:
- Sitting curbside in a parking lot waiting for items to be brought out.
- Warming up the car in winter. Engines don’t need to warm up unless temperatures are below zero.
- When you arrive at the drive-thru pick-up window. That’s most likely where you’ll sit for the longest time (think about an ATM drive-up.)
Many believe that idling uses less fuel than restarting your car, but this is one of many myths involved with fuel efficiency. Idling for only 30 seconds burns more fuel than restarting your engine.
Modify your shopping list
It’s not just when we’re at the grocery store shopping, but every time we order food, we have a choice on whether we create more or less waste. There’s so much plastic associated with take-out and fast food that it’s hard to avoid, unless it’s Zero Emissions Day, and you’re purposefully celebrating.
Try to go the entire day without using anything that’s single-use. No plastic water bottles, no plastic utensils or plates. See if you can avoid shopping for any items packaged in plastic as well. Your goal should be to only purchase/use items that come in recyclable or compostable packaging.
And while we’re talking about recycling, this day can also be devoted to putting more effort into getting recyclable items into an actual recycle bin. Don’t just toss that soda can into the regular trash because the bin is closer to you at work, get up and recycle it instead.
Be aware of the lights you leave on
Assuming you’ve already converted your lights to CFLs (but if not, that’s a great Zero Emissions Day activity), it’s time to take into consideration the wastefulness of keeping an empty room lit.
Wasting electricity by leaving lights on easily adds up, but remembering to turn those lights off, means a reduction in the emissions going into the air (not to mention a lower utility bill). For CFL bulbs, any room you won’t be returning to within 15 minutes should have its light switched off. If you’re planning on coming back shortly, it’s okay to keep it on.
Other types of bulbs perform differently because they’re naturally less efficient. Halogen and incandescent bulbs should get turned off whenever they’re not in need. Even if you’re still in the room; if you don’t need that extra lamp on, switch it off.
Clear the air
Even though you can’t clear the air of harmful emissions in a single day, you can do a little something on this particular day to make the world cleaner. Consider:
- Planting a tree or two. Trees actually remove and trap CO2 from the air.
- Research low emission vehicles (LEVs) to see if it’s time you got yourself a hybrid.
- Looking at your favorite companies to see what they’re doing to offset their own emissions.
Not every business is making a positive change in how they produce and/or package goods. Many are, and to tell the difference simply requires you to spend a little time researching. You can also look for special seals on the packaging that promotes how they’re working toward reducing emissions.
Affiliate companies with IMPACT COLLECTIVE display their environmental contributions with one or more of four seals:
- Reduced carbon impact
- Reduced plastic impact
- Reduced water impact
- Supporting renewable energy
Each seal speaks to the areas that a particular business has focused on to reduce the impact of harmful emissions indefinitely. Purchasing products from IMPACT affiliates and others working hard to refine how they treat the environment can make a huge difference as you celebrate Zero Emissions Day. It’s also an easy way to continue your celebration every day.