World Environment Day 2016
Our world is an amazing place and since 1973, we have dedicated June 5th to celebrate and acknowledge our beautiful planet. The main focus of this day is to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy and green environment. Air pollution, poor water quality, and unsustainable practices with farming and consumption are just some of the issues we see everyday in the news and other media. As individuals who call Earth home, it is up to us to solve the environmental issues which we hear about all too often. Through simple and effective actions, we can all join the race to make the world a better place. Below are some unique and efficient ways to make our lives eco-friendly as we prepare to celebrate World Environment Day.
Get Involved!
As World Environment Day approaches, it is important to get outside and participate in saving our planet. Tata & Howard took initiative in the 17th annual Charles River Earth Day Cleanup in Dedham, Massachusetts. Volunteers from the company, along with 3,000 others, picked up trash along the Charles River and made a positive impact on our local environment. Everyone is encouraged to volunteer and get involved in their local communities. Visit https://www.volunteercleanup.org for local volunteering opportunities and meet some great people along the way.
Say Bye to the Bottled Water
Keeping ourselves hydrated is one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves, but choosing bottled water may cost the environment far more than it does our wallets. Each year, 17 million gallons of oil are used in the production of bottled water. With a gallon of bottled water costing four times more than a gallon of gasoline, it is worth the thought to give tap water a chance. Here at Tata & Howard, we recognize that carrying and refilling our own water bottles with tap water is an important step in saving the environment. Drinking tap water keeps our water dollars local so that our communities can fund water improvement projects and other important water initiatives. Only one percent of Earth’s freshwater is safe for human consumption so its up to us to keep it clean and use it efficiently. For more information on reasons to choose tap water over bottled water, see the downloadable infographic below.
Be Mindful of Food Waste
The annual amount of food waste in the US is enough to feed one billion hungry people in the world. This food waste often ends up in landfills packed tight and covered in trash. Although most food is biodegradable, it does not biodegrade when it is piled with trash and other non biodegradable substances. Therefore, if biodegradable material is sent to a landfill, it becomes part of the problem. The best way to avoid this is to be mindful of the food we buy and consume, and to try to change our buying habits so that we waste less food. When we do need to dispose of food, the best way to do so is by composting. Composting is an excellent way to recycle unused food scraps back into a healthy environment in a controlled way. Some communities have local composting programs but it can also be done at home, even indoors.
Lack of understanding about expiration dates is also a large contributing factor to food waste in the US. Expiration dates refer to a product’s quality, not safety. We can help extend the life of perishables by keeping them at the proper storage temperature, and extra food should be donated to food banks BEFORE it reaches expiration, as food banks cannot accept expired food. Tata & Howard practices strong philanthro
py by donating both food and money to local food banks to help feed everyone efficiently. On June 5th, Tata & Howard encourages everyone to go through their pantries and donate to a local organization for people who need it. Not only will it help save our environment, but will also help the local people in our own communities.
Come Together and Travel Smart
For many people, riding a bicycle or walking to work may be impossible, but there are other excellent ways we can reduce our negative impact on the environment and get where we need to go. Carpooling is a great option. Coworkers who ride to work or lunch together not only help the environment, they also enjoy quality time which leads to team building and a more positive work environment. On our off time, it makes sense to combine all of our necessary errands into one trip. Taking one big trip to get groceries, dry cleaning, and drugstore items can greatly decrease our gas emissions that pollute the air and water in the environment. Americans in recent years have begun to drive less and use other means of public transportation or physical exercise. This trend is exactly what we need to better our planet. On World Environment Day, Tata & Howard encourages everyone to practice eco-friendly transportation. Even if it is only for one day, it will make a difference.
What to Take Away
Our world is awesome but it is not perfect. Our actions of pollution and unsustainable practices are the main contributors to the very real problems that we are currently facing. Actions taken today do make a difference and the more people we can get on board to help 
the better. On this World Environment Day, let’s all take time to lend a helping hand to our planet. It is up to us as individuals to take action and better our environment. Taking small steps and making an effort to improve the world in which we live is important not only on World Environment Day, but every day. Even if it is a small step, it is still a step in the right direction.
Happy World Environment Day!