You may be decked out in red, white, and blue on Independence Day, but don’t forget the green. There’s a plethora of ways you can keep your 4th of July eco-friendly, no matter what your plans are.
Inhabitat has some good suggestions for those planning backyard barbecues and other similar events, so I thought I’d give some of my own suggestions for those who will be otherwise occupied on the 4th.
- If you’ll be outside at a park, a festival, or just enjoying the great outdoors, consider packing a picnic lunch with food from your local farmer’s market. July crops are bountiful and diverse, and offer an endless menu of options.
Image courtesy Flickr
- Fireworks really aren’t great for the environment, but they are usually a staple of 4th of July. If fireworks are a must for your celebration, skip the home fireworks and opt instead to watch a show put on for a larger audience– either by your town, a park, or an event. The environmental impact of the fireworks is dispersed over a much greater number of people. It’s just like carpooling! (Okay, maybe not just like carpooling.)
- If you’re on your way to a festival, a park, or a beach, consider taking mass transit to get there instead of driving. It will significantly improve your carbon footprint, and traffic and parking are going to be at an all-time high for “awful,” anyway.
- Or better yet, bike to your 4th of July destination! Sometimes mass transit just isn’t available, or it’s fun to zip through large crowds of people– for these times, there are bikes. (This is how I’ve gotten to my local fireworks show for years.)
- If you’re the kind who likes to enjoy the great outdoors on Independence Day, first of all, good for you. Second, do you normally travel to a campground in a distant town? If you want to reduce your carbon footprint from travel, perhaps this year it could be a good idea to camp locally instead. The outdoors is just as great near home, I promise! And if you’re not already, go tent camping instead of driving around a huge RV. Again, you’ll lessen your carbon footprint. And you’ll really feel closer to nature, roughing it like the colonists were when they declared their independence so long ago.
Image courtesy Flickr
- Speaking of which, we often forget that the Declaration of Independence is what the 4th of July is all about. And what was the Declaration really but a strongly worded letter? If you’re looking for something a little more out-of-the-box to do on Independence Day, how about writing a strongly worded letter of your own? It can be to your local government or your Congressperson regarding environmental policy, or a company that you feel could be more sustainable. It could even be a pledge to yourself, declaring your independence from unsustainable energy, or processed food, or disposable packaging. Whatever floats your boat. Get creative.
Remember, the founding fathers fought (and wrote strongly worded letters) so that you could be free to one day look back and say, “You know what? Dumping all that tea into the Boston Harbor probably wasn’t super great for the harbor’s ecosystem. In hindsight that might not have been such a good idea.”
By Jessica Edington