In a Gallup poll released in March, 50 percent of those surveyed said the environment in the United States is getting worse as a whole. What better day to fix this problem than today? Below are a few ways to celebrate Earth Day and to help out the planet in your own way.
Take the shuttle.Instead of battling for a spot in North lot or enduring the walk from Hogan lot to Tator Hall, try relying on the shuttle system to get to class. The entire shuttle schedule is listed online for trips to Hamden and New Haven, and York Hill shuttles run constantly throughout the day. Whether you’re traveling to class or trying to get groceries, Quinnipiac has you covered. Taking the shuttle minimizes pollution by reducing emissions from several vehicles. Especially with the new TransLoc app, which tracks all the shuttles with a GPS system, taking the shuttle should be easier than ever.
Rock to Rock. Saturday, April 26 will be the sixth annual Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride. The event takes place in New Haven where bikers will travel from West Rock to East Rock. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate and registration continues until 6 a.m. the day of the event. The registration fee includes a free t-shirt and breakfast and snacks along the route. In 2012, Rock to Rock raised $100,000. All donations go to local Connecticut environmental organizations such as the New Haven Parks Department, CT Folk and the Connecticut Nature Conservancy.
Donate your old cell. A lot of people either don’t know how to recycle old phones, while others just can’t be bothered to dispose of these items properly. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “For every million cell phones we recycle, 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.” Anyone can get paid simply by recycling old phones, iPhones, iPads and iPods through sellandrecycle.com and shipping costs are completely free. According to Keep America Beautiful, 8 percent of unused phones were actually recycled in 2009.
Online activism. Don’t have a lot of free time, but still want to help out? The Earth Day Network at earthday.org has a lot of great options online to sign petitions, as well as donation opportunities. Most of the petitions are simple to understand, easy to participate and takes hardly any time out of your day. The website offers petitions about the construction of solar panels, development of renewable energy and the ban of new coal power plants. There are also pledges you can take to learn more about simple everyday eco-friendly fixes.
