Earth Day in Palo Alto is About Following In the Footsteps of Our Kids
Last Friday it is estimated that over 1 billion people in 180 countries celebrated Earth Day. As Mayor Espinosa of Palo Alto so eloquently put it, "Earth Day is really a reminder to all of us to leave a healthier and cleaner world for the kids." Ironically, here in Palo Alto where green is a way of life, it is our children who are insisting that we decrease our carbon footprint and make the world a better place to live.
Earth Day from roadURon on Vimeo.
There are so many facts and figures that I know I would rather turn a blind eye to, but I can't. Here are a few facts that really caught my attention and are easy to communicate to your children:
-Nearly 80 million Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day. That's enough recyclable aluminum foil to cover more than 50 acres of space or 40 football fields.
-By simply recycling one aluminum can, you are saving enough energy to watch a TV for three hours. Recycling one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb for four hours.
-Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year.
-Every year, Americans discards 16 million diapers, 1.6 billion pens, 2 billion razor blades, 220 million car tires, and enough aluminum to rebuild the U.S. commercial air fleet four times over.
As my kids remind me everyday: 'Earth Day is not about being green for a day, but to remind us to do this everyday." So, tell me, what are you and your family doing to reduce your carbon footprint everyday? Let me know.
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