Volkswagen Springfield Official Blog
Ways to go green in April for Earth Day 2016
By Product Expert | Posted in Holidays on Wednesday, April 13th, 2016 at 3:55 pm
2016 Earth Day Ideas for Springfield MO
In the automotive world we’re always talking about greener options, and that doesn’t refer to paint colors. Development of vehicles that run on alternative fuels, have hybrids powertrains or are fully electric has been a goal for decades. While we aren’t quite ready to say gasoline models are about to go the way of the dinosaurs, when electric vehicles start rolling out with practical ranges and shorter charging times, it seems only natural that they should someday replace your standard vehicle. Until then, it would make little sense for us to promote 2016 Earth Day Ideas for Springfield MO that involve buying a new car, unless you’re driving a relic. Here are some things you can do this year to help keep our community beautiful.
2016 Earth Day Events in the Ozarks
This year is the 46th annual Earth Day for America, which takes place on April 22nd every year. Closely following is Arbor Day, which takes places on the last Friday of April. This year, that means the 29th. We’re not saying you should hit two birds with one stone by celebrating them together, especially because that seems anything but friendly to the environment. Still, our area is big on Earth Day, promoting activities to make awareness last a whole month. Because we only have on planet, and it deserves a little TLC.
Fortunately the City of Springfield has a whole lot of events planned, and if you’re just reading our blog now, you may have missed some. We encourage you to check out the city calendar to learn more about events like Turtlemania for young ones who love these reptiles (Apr 13, 14 & 16), neighborhood clean-ups (Apr 16, 22, 23 & 30) or a variety of learning experiences. There’s gardening, there’s upcycling, there’s plant sales!
Read More: Holiday Events in Springfield MO
Inexpensive ways to live a greener life in Springfield MO
It’s become obvious that planting a tree once a year isn’t going to be enough to keep the Earth in shape. If you’re thinking of ways to improve your influence over pollution, without needing to install expensive solar panels or live like it’s the 17th century, here are some inexpensive ways you can live a more environmentally-friendly life:
- Carpool: This is especially smart for commuters with coworkers traveling to and from the same city.
- Grow a vegetable garden: not only will your food be more nutritious, but you can ensure it’s organic so you aren’t contributing to putting pesticides into local soil. Plus, if you eat at home you can save quite a bit of money over eating out. Cooking from scratch also means not using products wrapped in plastic or cardboard, which means less to throw into landfills.
- Don’t use disposable products: napkins, plates, plastic cups, the list goes on. All of these things end up in a landfill, when you could simply wash and reuse products.
- Start a compost pile: this is an easy way to create nutrient-rich and organic soil for that previously-mentioned vegetable garden. Plus, even biodegradable garbage can take years to decompose in a landfill, even if it only takes a few months in your compost heap.
- Buy a reusable water bottle: for those who are afraid of tap water, they now make some that have filters built right in. Did you know up to 80-percent of plastic water bottles don’t see a recycling center?
- Change out lightbulbs: LEDs are best, followed by CFLs, so if you’re still using incandescent bulbs, you’re behind the times. The cost is more up front, but these options last much longer and use so much less energy.
These are just some ways you could help protect the Earth, but we hope starting small will be a gateway for bigger changes. Have a happy and fruitful Earth Day, and be sure to check back here at the Napleton Volkswagen Springfield Blog for more area events and helpful tips!
