It’s Earth Day, now what…?

By Brandon McCraney

This year’s Earth Day will be celebrated by 192 countries around the globe. With over 1 billion people participating annually, it is the largest civic observance in the world. To place this in perspective, 9 times more people will be participating on April 22 than those who watched this year’s Super Bowl.

At last glance over 814 million (and counting) have pledged an “act of green” this year to help save our planet. The pledges range from eating more local foods and using rechargeable batteries, to planting a tree or taking less time to shower. With so many people pledging to help the environment, these small practices add up to a large impact.

While not everyone may have the opportunity to plant a tree on Earth Day, there are other actions you can take that will have an impact just the same. One suggestion: when leaving your office for the day, turn off the computer! This not only reduces the utility bill but also avoids pollution emissions from the power plant that creates the electricity. Over the course of a year, the practice of turning off a computer at night will result in the environmental impact equivalent of planting 9 trees per year! Now who says you cannot have a green thumb?

Another suggestion would be to car pool with a colleague twice per week. On average this will avoid around 1600 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually (roughly 6 barrels of oil)—not to mention the money saved from not having to fill up the gas tank. Pocket some of that money and with the remainder buy you and the driver a cup of coffee during the morning commute.

So as we observe Earth day later this month, remember we all can make a difference. At Sodexo, we work to make a difference every day with our Better Tomorrow Plan. That said, it’s really one small change each day, every day that makes the biggest difference in the end. Now before you leave the office today, turn off your computer and remember to tell your colleagues how many trees you just planted!

Brandon is a regional director, energy and construction for Sodexo’s North American Solution Center.