By Emily Keller

earth day 2020

Earth Day celebrates 50th anniversary

Apr 22, 2020 | 1:27 PM

April 22 is Earth Day, an internationally celebrated and recognized day meant to raise awareness for environmental protection and support.

Sarah Martin, with Aquatera, says this year, Earth Day is celebrating a big milestone.

“This year is particularly special because today (April 22) is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which is really exciting. So, when it started, 50 years ago, this first day mobilized 20 million people, and today, over one billion people participate across more than 190 countries.”

Martin says that Earth Day serves as a public reminder for people to help make a positive impact on our enviroment and methods like reduce, re-use and recycle can go a long way.

“Like aluminum cans, stuff like that gets recycled into train tracks, airplane parts, even bicycles, and then your plastics can get turned into frisbees, backpacks, sleeping bags, clothing items. (It’s) really incredible what some of these recycled materials can actually turn into.”

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She says annually, over 2-billion plastic cups are littered around the world. Martin recommends re-using as many items as possible such as jars and plastic containers, and to switch from single-use plastics such as shopping bags to reusable ones.

Martin adds that it is important for people to check for potential leaks in their homes, such as from a toilet, shower or washing machine, as those result in water waste and are expensive to fix. She adds that even keeping more plants in your home can be beneficial, and that research out of NASA shows indoor plants can reduce air pollutants by 87 per cent.

The Aquatera Eco-Centre also remains open for recyclables from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays to Saturdays, and Aquatera is continuing curbside pick up.