To recognize Earth Day 2019, you can go to events like Hays Nature Preserve or Monte Sano, but the small things you do at home and the way you choose to live your life can actually help the Earth. Here are some tips:

Unplug appliances that you don’t use. How easy is that?

Cut back on water use. You don’t really need a 20-minute shower every single day, do you? Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth. Wait until the dishwasher is full before running it.

Recycle AND Reuse. In addition to recycling, reuse plastic bags and repurpose things instead of throwing them away. See if someone else can use it before tossing things in the trash.

Carpool. It’s fun to have company.

Help raise awareness. You can chat people’s ears off about the causes you care about or even donate to organizations committed to raising awareness.

Contact your legislators. Let your officials know that you care about the environment and that you support laws designed to protect the air, water, soil, and wildlife.