Dear Eartha, I’m looking for some new ways to celebrate Earth Day this year. What actions can I take locally to support a sustainable Summit County?  

My favorite time of year – Earth Day. Across the globe, people commemorate this 51-year-old celebration by cleaning up their communities and taking action to create a healthier, more sustainable planet Earth. My challenge for you this Earth Day is to make a long-lasting change that will reduce your carbon footprint and turn Earth “Day” into a lifelong commitment.

Reduce Greenhouse Gases

When I talk about carbon footprint, I’m referring to quantity of greenhouses gases your lifestyle uses. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat in the atmosphere. GHGs are actually a good thing – they keep the Earth warm and inhabitable. But human activities have generated a massive excess of GHGs, which is causing global climate change. Common GHGs include carbon dioxide (from burning fossil fuels) methane (from production of fossil fuels and decay of organic waste), nitrous oxide (from industrial and agricultural activities), and fluorinated gases (from industrial processes). For folks like you and me, transportation, energy use and food contribute the most to our carbon footprints. Want to minimize your impact? Read on for five actions you can take to be part of the solution.

1. Compost Your Food Waste

When food rots in a landfill, it releases methane and carbon dioxide. In fact, if food waste were a country, it’d be the third-largest emitter of GHGs worldwide. That’s why it’s important for us to 1) reduce food waste by shopping smart and 2) compost any food waste we do generate. Fortunately, we can all compost our food waste for free in Summit County. Check out our Food Scrap Program to get started.

2. Recycle Right

We’ve all seen it – that plastic bag in our neighbor’s recycling bin or glass bottles mistakenly placed in single-stream recycling. Become a recycling expert and educate yourself, family, and friends on how to recycle properly in Summit County. When we keep our recycling clear of contamination, we help ensure those materials get recycled and turned into new products, helping to reduce emissions from new products. We have great resources that will help you understand what is and is not accepted in single-stream and drop-off recycling.

3. Tighten Up Your Home

Energy use accounts for 65 percent of emissions in our community. That’s why it’s so important to upgrade our buildings to be more efficient. Not to mention – an efficient home leads to increased comfort and savings. And don’t be afraid of the word “upgrade” – even small improvements can have wonderous effects on your home. Receiving a home energy assessment is a great place to start. Local analysts will help you understand how your home uses energy and will make recommendations to improve home comfort and efficiency.

4. Explore Renewable Energy

Shifting to renewable energy is imperative for our local (and global) communities to meet Climate Action Goals. In fact, we have a goal to reduce emissions from electricity use 100 percent by 2035, and in order to get there, we need to start considering renewable energy options for our homes and businesses. If you’re interested in powering your building with solar energy, check out Solarize Summit – a local community program that offers residents and businesses a limited-time discount on solar panel installation. Not ready for solar? Xcel Energy has several residential and commercial renewable energy programs that don’t require putting solar on your roof.

5. Go Electric

Is your gas-guzzling car on the fritz? Join a growing community of electric-vehicle (EV) owners to help keep our mountain air crisp, clean, and easy to breathe. One-third of GHG emissions in our community come from transportation. One way that we can reduce this impact is by switching to an EV the next time we purchase a vehicle. Xcel Energy’s new EV website has resources to help get you started. Not ready for an EV? Explore electric bikes and increase your use of public transportation – keeping cars off the road is not only great for the environment but helps reduce traffic congestion.

There are many ways to make this Earth Day more than just one day of celebration. Start by calculating your carbon footprint and challenge yourself to make long-lasting change.