On This Earth Day, Be The Change
8 Ways to Make a Difference
By Naturalist and Photographer, Sharon Mammoser
It’s easy to feel powerless. Our planet is warming. Species are going extinct and more and more habitat is being lost to development. Some days it feels like a challenge just to remain upright, and feeling hopeful seems impossible. But let’s remember this quote by the Dalai Lama,” If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” Every single day, multiple times per day we vote with our actions and our money. Each one of us can change so that our actions align with our morals, values and beliefs.
Here are 8 Ways YOU can make a difference for Mother Earth. Why not start today?
1. Shrink your lawn with native plants
The quickest way to destroy an ecosystem is to replace it with lawn. 40 million acres in the US are covered with green grass, creating a monoculture that supports zero wildlife. Let’s buck this trend and call on our intelligence to make choices that benefit nature instead. Replace some of your lawn with habitat islands, choosing a variety of native plants of all shapes and sizes that give something back to our fellow earthlings.
2. Plant keystone species
Like the rocks in the middle of an arch that hold the whole thing together, keystone species play an essential role in local ecosystems. When those species disappear, many others will follow suit. By choosing to put keystone species in your yard you can help support more biodiversity. Oak, willow, and maple are keystone trees. Trees capture carbon from the atmosphere, protect and fertilize soils, and shelter many birds, insects and other animals. Goldenrod, aster, and coneflower are keystone perennials. To find a keystone species that’s native to your yard, check out Homegrownnationalpark.com.
3. Eliminate Invasives
Let’s stop supporting plants that make us bad neighbors. Invasives choke out native plants, spread unchecked into wild spaces and our neighbors’ yards, and offer little or nothing to insects and other wildlife. It’s 2025, and we know better! Get rid of these invasive bully plants and replace them with native plants that have high wildlife value.
4. Reduce single-use plastics
We have the power to vote everyday with the products we buy and support. When standing in the store considering these products, pay attention to the packaging. Is there a way to get the same item without the packaging? Grocery stores often try to make things convenient for consumers but in doing so add plastic. Pick the single bell pepper, sweet potato or cucumber instead of the ones wrapped in plastic and sitting on styrofoam. Buy the whole watermelon, instead of the one in plastic, already cut up. Choose a shampoo bar or a bar of soap instead of a liquid in a plastic container. Bring your own Tupperware for takeouts at restaurants. Use cloth bags. With a little careful thought, many products can be purchased without the extraneous plastic packaging.
5. Eliminate or reduce your consumption of animal and dairy products
Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, and others, are sounding the alarm– our eating habits are fueling the destruction of our planet. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that “Since 1970, humans have wiped out 60% of animal populations. The three leading causes ALL relate to the consumption of animals: animal agriculture, eating wild animals, and fishing.” It may not be popular, but the science is clear that switching to a plant-based diet is the most impactful way we can make a difference for Mother Nature.
6. Don’t poison everything in your yard with pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals
We must learn to accept imperfection. We must understand that having moths and their caterpillars in our yards means we’ll also have more birds. There is no reason we need to continue buying lawn products designed to kill, or paying lawn companies to poison every living thing in our yards just so we can claim a “perfect” lawn. Let’s be smarter!
Compost
Food waste creates 10% of global greenhouse gases. Add your food waste to a compost bin instead of the trash can. Not only will you have less garbage, but you’ll be able to return all of those nutrients back to your soil. Even if you don’t have a garden you can still add them to your yard. Spread around trees or shrubs or in another wild area.
Reuse
There’s no rule that says wrapping paper, holiday decorations, bows, and tags can’t be used again and again. Clothing can be repaired or altered rather than throwing it away. We can reuse jars for leftovers. We can reuse packing peanuts and bubble wrap. The list is endless and it’s not hard to do. Let’s make it normal to use things more than once.
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