Our Earth is the planet we all inhabit. There’s no other planet like it, and it’s all we have. However, we as a species haven’t taken much care of it. We’ve done irreversible damage to our planet and left behind so much pollution that we can’t take it back. Even though there’s no fixing our mess on Earth, we can still do our part in cleaning up after ourselves from this point moving forward.
Putting effort into preserving the Earth doesn’t always have to be something as significant as a beach cleanup or organizing a protest. It’s as easy as using less water by shortening the amount of time you spend in the shower or creating less carbon footprint by taking public transportation.
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22nd in 1970 and has since then been renowned and participated in globally. People make contributions to this holiday by picking up trash, upcycling and reusing everyday items, and making changes to their daily routine. Saving the Earth can range from simplistic things like using less water and electricity to doing an entire beach cleanup. Che Marroquin, a staff member of our press, recalls his own contribution to Earth Day in 2018. With the help of his parents, they contributed to Earth Day in the Los Angeles area by cleaning up the infamous L.A river, picking up trash and donating various clothing items at a charity event.
At first, you may not think that us as a society contribute much to pollution. You might assume that majority of pollution is from large companies with extreme carbon footprints. While this is partially true, spaces open to the public such as national parks and beaches are littered with trash and waste. Despite the amount of precautions that park rangers and lifeguards take to keep the areas clean, the lakes and ocean are always polluted with garbage, which endangers the life that lives there. Take the Tijuana River, for example.
The Tijuana River Mouth starts in San Diego County and stretches to Mexico. It is considered one of the most polluted beaches in California. When I walked along the coast, there were splotches of black tar in the sand, among plastic objects, glass bottles, and automobile parts. I even recall seeing dead sealife washed up on the shore, including a sea lion. And yet, rather then attempting to clean it or at least oblige by the strict law of dumping, the filth among the public only gets worse. Cruise ships pass by everyday and only worsen the water with their carbon footprint along with their waste disposal procedures, where they simply discard of it into the water.
This isn’t just an issue of the large corporations that began to pollute the water. This is also an issue on the part of us citizens for doing the bare minimum by cleaning up after ourselves.
Instead of only taking our planet into consideration for one day of the year, we should all do our part by practicing these things every day, for a cleaner Earth and a brighter future.
