Zero Emissions Day

Human beings struggle to breathe when the air around them is contaminated with pollution, smog, toxic chemicals, and other pollutants.

The same goes for the planet! When emissions from human activity, such as greenhouse gases, are released into the air, they pollute the Earth’s atmosphere, making it harder for our planet to breathe.

Zero Emissions Day is celebrated each year to remind everyone that they can make a difference and give the planet more of an opportunity to breathe deeply.

History of Zero Emissions Day

Zero Emissions Day started as an idea by a Canadian environmental activist, Ken Wallace.

He proposed that a new day should be established, dedicated to raising awareness and improving education about the negative environmental impacts that emissions have.

The hope for the day is that as more people in government, public, and private companies learn, the more they will work toward reducing emissions with an eye toward restoring the health of the planet.

How to Celebrate Zero Emissions Day

People can get creative with all kinds of ways to give the planet a day off and celebrate Zero Emissions Day!

Consider some of these ideas or get together with friends and come up with some other interesting ways to make life simpler, limit consumption, and make the world a cleaner place:

Save Energy

One of the simplest ways to celebrate Zero Emissions Day, not only on one day but all throughout the year, is to turn things off. It’s easy!

Turn off the lights when leaving the room. Turn the thermostat off or down. Turn off the computer (instead of leaving it on standby) when not using it.

Unplug electronics such as televisions, phone chargers, and more – make it super easy by implementing a power strip. Also, wait until the dishwasher is full to run it and switch it from heat dry to air dry.

Choose Zero Emissions Transportation

For Zero Emissions Day, walking or riding a bike is the best way to ensure that no emissions are released into the atmosphere!

However, understanding that many people don’t have those options, consider a form of transportation that uses lower emissions.

Ride the bus, take the train, or purchase a low-emissions vehicle. Remember, carpooling with one person can cut emissions in half!

Fight for Lower Emissions

In addition to reducing the amount of emissions used personally, an even more impactful approach to Zero Emissions Day might be to start insisting that businesses and other big organizations lower their emissions.

Employees can lobby for work-at-home days to reduce energy waste in large companies. They can also sign petitions, contact wasteful companies, and use their voices in other ways to insist that businesses work smarter.

Support a Zero Emissions Organization

Sign up to volunteer or make a donation to non-profit organizations that are working to educate the public and support the ideas behind Zero Emissions Day, like some of these:

• Climate Foundation
• 350.org
• Global Footprint Network
• Clean Air Task Force