What happens to an old pair of sneakers once they wear out? Or the coffee grounds left in your cup? Most of us toss these items without giving them a second thought but many everyday materials have value after their original purpose has ended.

June 24th marks National Upcycling Day, a reminder that waste is not always the end of the story. Around the world, people are finding new ways to reuse and repurpose items that might otherwise end up in landfills.

Upcycling is one way to rethink waste. By finding creative and practical uses for existing materials, this can lessen the demand for new raw materials while keeping the planet clean. While not every second-life solution falls under the definition of upcycling, they all share a common goal: extending the life of materials that could be discarded.

This National Upcycling Day, here are six surprising everyday items getting a second life:

After the Last Sip 

For many people, coffee is part of a daily routine and what happens to the grounds after the coffee is gone is easy to overlook. Globally, around 6 million tons of used coffee grounds are generated each year, and much of that waste ends up in landfills where it releases methane through decomposition. 

Researchers and companies have found that coffee grounds can remain useful even after brewing is finished. Spent coffee grounds can be processed into biodegradable food packaging used to wrap produce and protect food during shipping. As concerns about plastic waste continue to grow, coffee grounds are becoming a promising alternative for more sustainable packaging solutions.

What most people see as waste could help replace some of the single-use packaging materials that we rely on every day. 

Beyond the Finish Line 

Most athletic shoes are built to last through years of running, walking, and everyday use, but the challenge comes when they finally wear out. Sneakers are made from a mix of rubber, foam, and different synthetic materials which are difficult to recycle through traditional systems.

The average pair of sneakers may seem no longer useful once the sole wears down, but the fabrics inside can still be repurposed. Instead of ending up in a landfill, some worn-out sneakers are being transformed into playground surfaces, running tracks, and sports courts.

Recycled shoe materials have been incorporated into recreational surfaces worldwide, demonstrating how products designed for one purpose can also be repurposed for another. In the process, old sneakers are helping create spaces where future generations can play.  

Shells That Sustain 

Most people don’t think twice about oyster shells after a meal. Yet in coastal communities located in Maryland and Virginia those shells are becoming an important resource for ecosystem restoration.

In these areas what typically looks like food waste is actually one of nature’s best building materials. Oyster reefs once covered large portions of the Atlantic coast, but populations in the Chesapeake Bay have declined to roughly 1% of their historic levels. Without enough living oysters to naturally rebuild reefs, recycled oyster shells provide a critical hard surface for young oysters to attach and grow, making them one of the most effective resources for reef restoration. 

The benefits of this extend beyond just the oysters themselves. Healthy reefs can improve water quality, reduce erosion, and create a habitat for marine species such as fish and crabs. An analysis of 245 restoration projects from 1960-2020 found that restored reefs increased oyster production more than twentyfold while also improving ecosystem health. 

For coastal communities facing environmental pressures, something as simple as a discarded shell can help rebuild a habitat.

Sea to Shore 

Fishing gear that is left behind is one of the most persistent forms of marine pollution. An estimated 640,000 tons of fishing nets are lost or abandoned in the world’s oceans every year where they can continue to harm wildlife after they are no longer in use. 

Fishing nets are made from synthetic polymers like nylon, woven into dense grids designed to endure waves and abrasive sand without snapping. This toughness means the plastic doesn’t easily degrade over time. When recycled and recovered those same fibers can be transformed into long lasting products. 

Companies are increasingly recovering abandoned fishing gear and transforming it into products such as sunglasses frames and other consumer goods. By keeping these materials out of the ocean, these efforts can help reduce harmful marine debris while giving used fishing nets a second life.

What was once a threat to marine ecosystems is now being repurposed into everyday items. 

Spun from Citrus 

Orange juice may seem like an unlikely starting point for clothing but researchers have spent years exploring that exact possibility. 

Nearly half of every orange including the peel, pulp, and seeds remain after consumption and processing. In Italy alone, citrus production generates around 700,000 tons of waste each year. 

Textile innovators have developed ways to extract cellulose from orange peels and convert it into fibers that can be used in the manufacturing of clothing and textiles. What started as an experiment in a lab is now showing up in real fashion collections. 

As the fashion industry looks for alternative materials, agricultural byproducts such as orange peels are demonstrating how waste can become a new resource. 

From Wardrobe to Walls 

Americans discarded an average of over 17 million tons of clothing and textiles in 2018, while globally the fashion industry generates an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste annually, much of which ends up in landfills.

Because denim is primarily made from cotton it can be recycled into new products rather than being disposed of immediately. Programs collect worn-out jeans and denim scraps, which are then shredded and transformed into denim insulation, a natural building material that can be used in homes and in community building projects. 

Recycling denim into insulation means less cotton ending up in a landfill and energy going into producing new materials. Old denim can help improve energy efficiency in homes across the country. 

EARTHDAY.ORG is the driving force behind the Earth Day movement year-round. You can have articles like this emailed to your inbox by signing up for our email list. Make sure to also check out our social media at X, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube for environmental news and information straight from the Earth Day source.

Looking for more individual actions you can take? Check out our 50 Easy Ways to Help the Planet Every Day.

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Mammals are captivating, warm, and cuddly, however, a global analysis of around 14,600 conservation projects found that almost half of all species-focused funding went to just 47 species, primarily large ones such as elephants, bears, and wolves, while plants received only about 6.6% of total resources. 

Yet, trees are fundamental to the Earth’s health, they, among other things, stabilize soil with their roots, provide home and nutrition for countless species, and make our landscapes beautiful. When a tree disappears, it’s not just a single loss, it’s a shift in habitat. 

Some of the world’s truly remarkable trees are now mere remnants, quietly declining without the spotlight granted to charismatic animals. It’s long overdue that we give these neglected giants the recognition and protection they deserve.

The Firefighter

Florida Torreya is an evergreen tree of the yew family that lives in just a tiny 35 kilometer-long stretch of ravines along the Apalachicola River in the area of northern Florida and southern Georgia. In the 20th century, its population crashed by roughly 98.5% due to a fungus-caused canker disease, with most of its original habitat remaining intact. What used to be a stretch of over 0.3 million trees is now estimated to be less than 2,000 entities.

At its prime, Florida Torreya can grow up to 20 meters (65.6 feet) in height, however, ever since 1962, no trees of such size have been spotted. Nowadays, most members of the species are less than 2 meters (6.6) tall, with only a couple stems to display.

Florida Torreya’s main benefit for the environment was its low flammability. With this species going extinct and other more flammable trees populating its former habitat, the Apalachicola River area’s vulnerability to wildfire has increased. This puts the flora of the region, which includes 48 rare species, in danger, demonstrating how decline in one species can threaten entire systems.

The Dinosaur’s Friend

Wollemi Pine is one of the rarest tree species on Earth, with just 91 surviving individuals as of 2021, only 45 of which are mature. Today, Wollemi Pines live in only four small rainforest canyon sites in Australia, all of which are located in the Blue Mountains and Wollemi National Park.

Appearance-wise, a Wollemi Pine can grow to about 40 meters (131 feet) tall, its bark looking similar to bubbling chocolate, earning the species the “Coco Pops Tree” moniker.

When the species’ dwindling remnants were discovered in 1994, scientists pointed out that the tree belonged to a very ancient lineage that existed when dinosaurs were still alive. The tree was named the “botanical find of the century,” shaking the conservation efforts around the globe awake.

Due to the population being so small and isolated, the threats caused by diseases, fire, unauthorized human disturbance, and climate change are especially dangerous to the species. As a result, the exact location of the remaining trees has never been made available to the public.

A Chef and a Medic

The Science Maple

Acer Yangbiense is a maple tree endemic to Yangbi County in Yunnan, China. It grows in the Cangshan Mountain region at about 2,200-2,500 meter elevation and can reach up to 20 meters (65.6 feet) in height.

For years, the species was thought to survive as only five wild trees, but 2016 surveys found a total of 577 individuals in 12 different areas, with another 2019 search uncovering additional 166 trees. The main problem with restoring this species comes from its poor reproduction capacities, with most trees growing only male flowers and only 5.37% having both female and male blossoms. In addition, habitat degradation caused by human activity and climate change also plays a major role in this species endangerment.

What makes Acer Yangbiense especially notable is its contribution to science. In 2019, researchers mapped the tree’s entire DNA, creating the first full genome for this species and the first genome ever published for a maple tree. Having this information helps researchers study how the species evolved, how it adapts to its environment, and how it and similar trees can be better protected, making the species valuable outside its small population.

The Icon of Resilience

Sicilian Fir is the most endangered conifer in all Europe with only 30 mature trees surviving in nature. It lives in Madonie Regional Park, Sicily, growing up to around 14.4 meters (47.2 feet) in height and closely resembles a pine tree from a distance.

The species’s main struggles are loss of genetic diversity, scatteredness in population, weak regeneration, and a high rate of sterile seed production. All of these contribute to its slow extinction, which was initially launched by deforestation for construction projects due to the wood’s high flexibility and sturdiness.

Despite the hardships and the extremely small population size, mature Sicilian Firs are exceptionally genetically diverse, even when compared to other Mediterranean trees of much greater populations. Aside from the resilience of the tree’s genetic variation being especially admirable, this diversity also increases the tree’s chances to survive various threats like climate change induced calamities, stoking the hope that it might yet prevail.

Planting the Seeds of Change

These five trees come from different continents and habitats, but their stories point to the same truth: forests are fragile, and the loss of even a single species can leave permanent marks on landscapes, traditions, or minds.

Supporting forest restoration can make a meaningful difference. A donation to Canopy Tree Project can go a long way in supporting reforestation efforts that give trees and the ecosystems built around them a chance to thrive and stay out of endangerment lists.

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Somewhere between your 9 a.m. lecture and your 11 a.m. seminar, the world is asking something of you. Not everything; not a solar panel, not a manifesto, not a personality overhaul, but just ten minutes. A small choice and the quiet understanding that you’re not too young, too broke, or too busy to matter. Here are ten ways to prove it.

Move: Walk The Block Instead of Summoning A Car

It’s 10:47 a.m., your next class is six blocks away, and your thumb is hovering over that rideshare app. The pull is real — faster, easier, predictable. But what that moment obscures is how carbon-intensive short car trips actually are. Cold-start engines haven’t warmed up yet, which means higher emissions from the jump, and stop-and-go campus traffic makes it worse from there.

The numbers aren’t subtle: according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, accounting for 28% of the total — and the majority comes from exactly the kind of light-duty passenger vehicles used for short, routine trips. Every skipped ride is a small but real subtraction from that number. 

Walking those six blocks takes maybe eight minutes. It costs nothing, emits nothing, and reduces stress. Done consistently, across thousands of students on thousands of campuses, it stops feeling like a walk and starts looking like a movement.

Leave five minutes earlier. Take the long way. Notice what you pass.

2-10-minute walk, zero emissions.

Eat: Swap One Meat Dish for Something Plant-Forward

You’re standing at the dining hall line at noon, tray in hand, two options in front of you. Here is the climate math, straight from the source: Our World In Data, drawing on the largest meta-analysis of global food systems ever published, found that producing 100 grams of protein from peas emits just 0.4 of a CO2 equivalent — compared to roughly 35 kg for the same amount of beef. That’s nearly 90 times the footprint.

And it’s not just the plate. The FAO estimates that livestock supply chains account for about 14.5% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions globally, with cattle responsible for roughly two-thirds of that total. The food system is one of the biggest levers we have — and unlike power grids or transit infrastructure, it’s one you personally interact with multiple times a day.

Nobody is asking you to go vegan by Friday. The ‘all or nothing’ framing is one of the most effective ways to make people do nothing at all. So just one swap, once a day, when it’s convenient, is participation — not sacrifice. 

Get the curry. Enjoy it. Come back tomorrow and do it again. 

Same time spent, fraction of the footprint. 

Save: Bring And Use A Reusable Bottle

A single-use plastic bottle is designed for minutes of use, and can take up to 450 years to break down in the environment. Your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren will still share a planet with the bottle you tossed in 2024. That is not a comfortable thought to sit with at 8 a.m., but it is a useful one – because the fix is probably hanging by your dorm room door right now, a little dusty, but still there.

Most campuses have water refill stations within a few hundred feet of any building. The infrastructure is already there. The gap isn’t access — it’s a habit. And habits, as frustrating as it is to admit, aren’t built through willpower. They’re built through repetition until the action stops feeling like a decision at all. Bottle by the door. Fill before you leave. Repeat until it’s invisible.

There’s also a compounding effect here that’s easy to underestimate. People who carry reusable bottles tend to become more attuned to their daily waste streams — the cups, the bags, the packaging.

It’s a small thing that has a way of making you want to do more small things. Start here.

10 seconds, every day. 

Speak: Email A Representative Or Sign A Petition — Right Now, Between Classes.

Here is something that gets underplayed in nearly every “individual action” climate conversation: personal behavior, as meaningful as it is, does not hold a candle to policy. The ten most impactful climate decisions being made right now are happening in committee rooms and regulatory agencies — not dining halls. And the people in those rooms respond to one thing more reliably than almost anything else: constituent pressure from actual voters. That’s where EARTHDAY.ORG’s Earth Action Day campaign comes in — it’s a direct pipeline from your ten spare minutes to the inboxes of the people who write the laws, with pre-written letters to Congress on renewable energy, climate protection, and reducing plastic production, ready to send in under two minutes.

You have ten minutes. Pull up earthday.org, find the petition or letter that fits the issue you care about, and add your name. This is not naive — it is exactly how legislative attention gets moved. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that 61% of Americans underestimate how many of their peers share their climate concern — and congressional staffers are even more out of step, dramatically underestimating constituent support for climate action. Contacting them directly is how you correct that record.

Climate legislation is actively being debated right now, in ways that will shape the next several decades.

You are a constituent. You are allowed to have opinions about your own future. Use the gap between Econ and Lit to say so in writing, to someone who is paid to listen.

3-5 minutes, measurable political signal

Save: Unplug What You’re Not Using

Your phone charger is plugged in right now. Your phone probably isn’t attached to it. It’s still drawing power — quietly, continuously, invisible. So is your laptop brick, your power strip, your old desk lamp with the slightly frayed cord. This is called phantom load, or standby power, and it is not trivial: the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that it accounts for 5 to 10% of residential electricity use nationwide.

Before you leave your room in the morning, pull the plugs. It takes five seconds. The electricity that doesn’t get generated doesn’t require the fossil fuels that would have been burned to produce it. The chain of causation is short and direct. And a DOE-managed research project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has been tracking this for over 20 years — the problem hasn’t shrunk, because while individual devices got more efficient, the number of plugged-in devices per household has grown faster.

There’s something almost meditative about this one — leaving a space truly off, truly at rest, before you walk into your day.

Pull the plugs. Close the door. Go learn something. 

5 seconds, surprising cumulative impact.

Eat: Eat What’s Already In Your Fridge Before It Becomes Trash

There is a container of leftover rice in your fridge. There are two slightly soft tomatoes in the crisper drawer. There is a half can of chickpeas you optimistically opened on Tuesday. There is also an app on your phone with a dozen restaurants ready to deliver something new. Here is why the rice matters: according to UNEP, food that is wasted is responsible for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions — and that figure includes not just the food itself decomposing in a landfill, but all the water, land, and energy used to grow, process, and transport it.

That’s nearly five times the total emissions from the entire aviation sector, by the way. The UNFCCC calls it one of the most cost-effective and readily achievable climate solutions available. And unlike power grid decarbonization or transportation infrastructure, it’s something you can act on right now, with the contents of your current refrigerator.

This one has the rare quality of being simultaneously an environmental win and a financial one.

Open the fridge. Make a slightly chaotic meal. Be proud of it. The planet won’t send you a thank-you note, but it will notice.

Saves money, cuts methane.

Speak: Talk About Climate Change Like It’s A Normal Part Of Conversation — Because It Is

Most people think they’re alone in their climate concerns. They’re not — but the silence makes it feel that way. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that 61% of Americans underestimate how many of their fellow citizens are worried about global warming, while only 8% correctly estimate the actual level of shared concern. This “perception gap” has real behavioral consequences: people who think no one else cares are less likely to act, advocate, or talk about it themselves.

You don’t need a PowerPoint or a policy brief, just mention it when it comes up naturally — and it comes up naturally more than you’d think, because climate touches weather, food, travel, money, health, and the news. Mentioning that you walked to skip a car trip, or that you’ve been thinking about food waste, is enough. It signals that caring is normal. That signal, repeated, is contagious in the best way possible.

This is among the highest-leverage actions on this list because it doesn’t just change what you do — it changes what the people around you feel they’re allowed to do.

Say the thing. Start the conversation. Be the person in the room who made it okay to care out loud.

Anytime — the ripples go outward.

Move: Take The Stairs. Air-Dry Your Laundry. Do The Small Thing.

Two habits so minor they barely feel worth mentioning — and that’s exactly why they matter. Elevators use electricity; stairs don’t. Clothes dryers are among the highest energy-consuming appliances in any home, running heating coils for 45-60 minutes per load. A drying rack costs about twelve dollars and runs on the ambient air in your room. The International Energy Agency identifies everyday behavioral changes as a key component of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 — not as a footnote, but as a structural part of the scenario.

Here’s the thing about autopilot: it’s not fixed. It’s built from repeated choices that eventually stop feeling like choices at all. Right now, stepping into the elevator feels automatic. In a few months of taking the stairs, the elevator starts to feel like an effort. The habits that save the most energy over a lifetime are the invisible ones — not grand gestures done once, but small things done daily without noticing.

Climate action often gets framed as deprivation — doing less, having less, enjoying less. But taking three flights of stairs isn’t a punishment. It’s three floors of not waiting for a metal box. The drying rack isn’t a sacrifice. It’s laundry that smells better and costs less.

Do the small thing.

Zero extra minutes, compounding returns.

Speak: Show Up To A Campus Climate Group – Even Just Once

Student organizing has a track record that deserves considerably more credit than it gets. What started as a handful of campaigns at Swarthmore, UNC Chapel Hill, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2011 grew with support from 350.org and student networks into a global divestment movement that has now moved trillions of dollars away from fossil fuel investments. Over 140 U.S. universities have made divestment commitments. This did not happen because students posted about it. It happened because they showed up in rooms repeatedly.

You don’t have to become an organizer. You don’t have to go every week. But showing up once — to a tabling event, a meeting, a cleanup — puts you in a room with people already doing the work, which makes the work feel less lonely and more possible. It also signals to whoever is counting attendance that students care. That signal matters to administrators, to faculty, to trustees who are watching participation numbers.

There’s also a less tactical reason: community. The climate crisis is heavy to carry alone. Being in a room with people who share your urgency — and are doing something about it — is one of the most effective antidotes to climate despair.

Go once. The door will stay open.

One hour — an open door.

Save: Bring Your Own Bag. Bring Your Own Mug. Build The Infrastructure Of A Lower-Impact Life.

A reusable coffee mug used every weekday for a single semester saves well over a hundred disposable cups — cups that, as the EPA notes, are generally not recyclable in most municipal systems because of their plastic lining. A cotton tote used consistently becomes an environmental net positive within months. The math on reusables is not complicated: the upfront footprint of making them gets paid back quickly, and after that, they just keep paying forward.

But the underrated part is what these objects actually do for you behaviorally. They make the low-impact choice the default. When your tote is already on your shoulder, you don’t have to decide whether to take a plastic bag — the decision is already made. When your mug is in your backpack, you don’t have to think about it — you just hand it over. The secret to sustainable habits isn’t willpower. It’s set up. Design your environment so the right choice requires no effort.

Put the bag by the door. Keep the mug in your backpack. These are not grand gestures. They are the quiet, cumulative architecture of a life that takes the planet seriously — without making that seriousness the loudest thing about you. 

The planet doesn’t need your guilt. It needs your habits. Build good ones. Start with the bag.

Habit over willpower, every time. 

The climate crisis is real. It is urgent. And it will not be solved by any one person making any one perfect choice.

But it will be shaped by repeated decisions — small, practical, and built into the texture of everyday life. The kind that doesn’t require more time, just a different default. The kind that, multiplied across millions of students on millions of campuses, starts to look less like individual habits and more like a generation deciding who it wants to be.

You already have the time. You already have the gap between classes. Go use it.

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As the most popular day of the year to buy flowers, Valentine’s Day drives business into the storefronts of thousands of florists and supermarkets across the world. And the flowers themselves? Also from around the world. 

Few flowers are grown anywhere near the shop where they’re sold. Roughly 80% of all flowers sold in the US are imported, mainly from South America, and the largest worldwide supplier in 2023 was the Netherlands. This long journey creates a massive carbon footprint, by plane it can cost 1 to 1.5 kg of CO2 emissions per stem

But flowers are not the only way to show that special someone. Here are five things to gift someone this Valentine’s Day to show them you care about them, and the Earth:

Budding Love Locally 

Most flowers bought in the US burn a lot of fuel in transit to the supermarket or local florist shop. Luckily, there is a more rosey option. Locally grown flowers take far less fuel to transport, support nearby farmers, and last longer because they don’t spend a week traveling after they’re cut.

Locally grown means a florist only sells flowers grown within a 100-mile radius of their shop. By buying from local farmers, you cut down on the costly carbon footprint it takes to transport imported flowers and support the local economy. Growing your own blooms or picking wildflowers from surrounding parks are also great options. 

P.S. I Love Handmade and Digital Cards

You did it in elementary school, so why not bring this creative tradition back? Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days to send or give a card, with around 145 million exchanged on the holiday each year. But not every piece of a paper card can be recycled, like glitter, ribbons, felt, music boxes, and foil, so most cards will end up in a landfill. If you do buy a card, be sure to remove all these extra pieces before recycling.

So instead, make a homemade gift card. Cut out hearts from paper, write a heartfelt message, or paint or draw a picture for your loved one. If you’re far away from your special someone, a digital card can be just as memorable and doesn’t contribute to landfill clutter. 

Paper Petals 

Unlike real flowers, paper flowers never wither. They’re also a perfect craft for any little ones participating in the day as a present to Mom. 

There are many different ways to make these flowers. The most common way is using tissue paper and pipe cleaners for a 3D bouquet. You can also use old egg cartons to make a flower garland, hyacinths from construction paper, or a cupcake liner lollipop flower.

These are just a few of the many crafty ways to make a more permanent bouquet for your Valentine. Anything that makes use of craft supplies or everyday recyclables is a chance to keep something out of the landfill and brighten up the room at the same time.

Potted Plants

Instead of buying a flower that’ll die within a week, give one that’ll continue to blossom longer, and multiple times. Potted plants of any kind means you can watch your love grow… literally.

But if your special person doesn’t have a green thumb, don’t worry! There are plenty of easy-to-care-for plants you can get them. A snake plant, for instance, is a large fern-like plant with deep green leaves that stick straight into the air. Just tell the recipient to not water it too much and have them put it next to a window for some sun. Some other greenery options include the leafy ZZ Plant, which tolerates low light and dry conditions, or succulents which should be placed where they get lots of light and sparsely watered.

For a flowering plant, try the Peace Lily, which likes some light and just needs its soil kept moist. A potted zinnia will give a pop of color to one’s home and should only be watered when its soil is dry. African violets are compact and just need a bright window and enough water to keep the soil damp.There really is an option for everyone!

Memories Don’t Wilt 

What do you get for someone who has everything? Something to do!

A 2023 survey shows that 92% of Americans hope for gifted experiences, compared to 77% wanting a physical gift. Though that high percentage for the physical means you still shouldn’t skip on the chocolate this Valentine’s Day, maybe instead of the bouquet of flowers, you can gift something to remember.

Tickets to a concert or a play are classics. Some kind of class, from cooking to glass blowing, can be a way to get your loved one out of their comfort zone. If you’re celebrating on a budget, try taking your sweetheart on a picnic date at a nearby park. Pack each of your favorite foods, and if you want to be sappy, cut the sandwiches in the shape of a heart — just make sure to compost the chef scraps. 

Show Love for your Partner, and the Planet

No matter who you’re celebrating this love-filled holiday with, there’s always an opportunity to speak someone’s love language while also showing your love for the earth. EARTHDAY.ORG’s love language is an act of service, and we’re proud to plant hundreds of millions of trees to show our appreciation for the planet. If service is your love language too, and you want to help us reach a billion trees planted by 2060 (that’s 34 Valentine’s Day’s away) consider donating to our Canopy Tree Project to help show the earth some extra love.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day falls on the last Monday of January, landing on January 26 in 2026. The date is a grave reminder that plastic is still being mass-produced all over the globe, just to be shipped  to another part of the world, and thrown away somewhere else. While serving as an efficient type of package cushioning, plastic bubble wrap accounts for billions of tons of global plastic waste annually, as it’s not commonly reused and is particularly difficult to recycle.

Bubble wrap works because it is lightweight and shock-absorbing. The problem is what happens after the bubble wrap serves its original purpose; it goes from a home straight to the landfill. Bubble wrap takes centuries to fully decompose, all the while contributing to ozone layer depletion, killing honeybees, and reducing soil quality.

Fortunately, there are materials other than plastic on the market, giving anyone a chance to switch to more eco-friendly options. While seaweed-based solutions and bioplastics might not be widely available yet, eco-friendly bubble wrap alternatives are. Every step to reduce plastic usage matters, and choosing a greener cushioning can cut waste fast, even if you only ship a few boxes a month. 

Whether you are a manager of a small business or occasionally send a mug for your grandma’s birthday, here are 7 ways to ship bubble wrap free: 

1. Honeycomb Packing Paper (aka “Paper Bubble Wrap”)

Let’s start with the classic substitutes. Honeycomb packing paper can be purchased at chain stores as well as online. It is made of recycled kraft paper, a stronger paper type treated with sodium sulfide. In the process of paper-making, most of the sulfides in the pulp get converted into other molecules, so adding sodium sulfide into the mix helps keep the pulp charge stable and paper more resilient. Paper bubble wrap is arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Its shape features “air pockets,” like those in plastic bubble wrap. These pockets protect items by absorbing the impact upon collisions, causing them to “deflate.”

Honeycomb packing paper is best for business or frequent personal use, as it can only be purchased in large rolls. It works perfectly with mugs and jars, as it wraps around them tightly, and sharp objects since it isolates the sharp side and stays in place well. At the same time, it struggles with heavy items due to their potential to compress the paper, in which case double wrapping might be necessary. Luckily, it can be recycled with other cardboard paper as long as it is dry and clean.

2. Cornstarch Peanuts

The eco-friendly sibling of traditional polystyrene foam peanuts, cornstarch peanuts are biodegradable and non-toxic. They are lightweight and fill empty space well, preventing items from sliding around in a box.

They can be bought at chain stores as well as online and are a great option for business and private use. Cornstarch peanuts work best with lightweight and oddly-shaped items that may be difficult to wrap using other materials. However, cornstarch can soften in high humidity or when exposed to rain, so it is not the most effective at shipping in stormy or tropical climates. On the plusside, as such they can be composted or dissolved in water as a means of disposal.

3. Molded Pulp

If you’ve ever unboxed a phone or water bottle nested in a perfectly shaped tray, you’ve met molded pulp before! It is usually made of recycled paper and/or natural fibers. As the mold fits the product snugly, it can’t shift. This immobilizing effect is the secret: molded pulp protects by holding an item in place and absorbing impact through its pliable structure.

This alternative works best for repeated shipments of similarly shaped items and can be ordered online in customized or generic shapes. It is highly reliable for securing bottles, jars, small electronics, and anything else that does not have an intricate shape. Most molded pulps can be discarded with paper recycling, just check that your local recycling facility accepts things like egg cartons or other pulp food containers, and you’re good to go.

4. Paper Egg Cartons (and Other Grocery Packaging)

Paper egg cartons, while not a perfect substitute, are a decent “reuse what you have” option as they are specifically designed to protect eggs, which are known to be quite delicate, from cracking. Made of the same material as molded pulp inserts, they absorb impact with comparable efficiency. Egg cartons can be used for transporting small items that fit securely inside as well as cut into larger, dimpled pieces of multiple conjoined cups to fill space and take small kicks. For example, upon separating, the top and the bottom of the paper container take a form very similar to industrial molded pulp fillers that work by having their structure deformed instead of the object. Egg cartons can also be split into egg cups and repurposed as simple protective corners, with their rounded shape rather than ridges providing the unfilled space needed to soak up small impacts.

Egg cartons work best for personal shipping and transporting, helping secure small round items or preventing dents and scratches in bigger objects. They can be recycled or composted if the paper is dye-free, in which case the carton will be dark to light brown or white. Before sending them to the curb to be picked up by a recycling truck however, make sure your local facility accepts pulp food containers.

5. Crumpled Paper

Crumpled paper, especially its kraft variety, is the most accessible form of low-waste shipping. It fills space, absorbs impact, and is widely available.

Crumpled paper can be adopted for both personal and business uses, easily fulfilling most everyday shipping needs. It can even support the transportation of very fragile items if enough is used, since thicker cushioning deforms more under impact, allowing for more energy to be absorbed that would otherwise damage the item. When clean and dry, this alternative can be recycled with matching paper materials as a method of disposal.

6. Drinking Straw Cuttings

You bought a pack of paper straws, discovered they turn into soggy sadness, and now you have a whole box that you will never use. Don’t rush to throw them away just yet! Cut the straws into half-inch-long segments and use them as lightweight packing filler. They are not a wrap, but the squishy rings work well to absorb small impacts, especially when combined with kraft paper.

This option is perfect for personal use, filling small gaps and stabilizing light items. At the same time, it is not as great for heavy objects that could easily squish them and high-moisture situations, in which the straws could get soggy. Paper straws usually contain adhesives and additives, so their final resting place will be in the trash, but repurposing them as cushioning can allow a bad purchase to die with dignity. For a more sustainable option, compostable straws can also be used.

7. Old Fabric

Old towels, T-shirts, sweaters, and pillowcases can be incredible cushioning, especially for non-commercial shipping. Similarly, to how running socks can soften the impact of feet slamming into the ground, various fabrics can protect items they are wrapped around.

These are best for shipping to friends and family as well as moving houses. While cloth is not as lightweight as other alternatives, its fibrous structure is very shock-absorbent and can even protect items on the hefty side. This is the easiest option to reuse and can be disposed of by donating to a thrift store or in accordance with disposal instructions for its comprising materials. For example, most textiles can be recycled by dropping them into designated “Clothing Recycling” drop-off containers like the ones found around Maryland and New York.

The “Clovely” Future of Shipping

Plastic bubble wrap is not going to vanish overnight, but as society takes more responsibility for the waste we produce, the number of alternatives keeps growing. Researchers are experimenting with materials previously deemed pure waste, like garlic clove peels, which are now being considered the next biodegradable plastic material option.

In the meantime, while we wait for these alternatives of the future to arrive, we can do our best to minimize the amount of waste we create today. The ongoing switch to biodegradable alternatives has already eliminated plastic waste on a multi-million-ton scale. This includes Amazon’s effort to eliminate plastic from its packaging, resulting in almost 15 billion plastic air cushions avoiding the landfill every year.

Swapping out bubble wrap for reusable cushioning is a small change that helps move the global production in a more eco-friendly direction. Many of the listed innovations are already proving that protecting products doesn’t have to mean adding more persistent plastic waste to the world. With the United States staying in the top of the global plastic pollution, Earthday.org encourages US citizens to sign the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act as a way to show that we are ready for better, non-plastic solutions to our daily needs.

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People who don’t understand science seem to have come up with a host of reasons not to save the planet we all depend on, many of which seem a little absurd. But maybe their purses and pocketbooks should do the talking because climate change is making life less affordable.  

1. Energy Bills Are On the Rise and We All Know It

Energy bills have risen sharply in the U.S in a short period, up an average of 5.5% compared to last year, and natural gas is up ~13.8%.  Several factors are contributing to this, including the war in Ukraine, rising energy demand from AI data centers, and newly introduced tariffs. 

But underlying these spikes is a deeper problem: the U.S. electric grid—and the way bills are calculated—was never designed to handle climate-related stresses. Extreme heat, storms, and aging infrastructure now strain the system, forcing higher costs onto consumers. Europe and Asia face similar pressures, as growing demand collides with limited supply, highlighting the urgent need to modernize grids and invest in resilient, sustainable energy sources.

Similar challenges are occurring in Europe and Asia, where rising demand and constrained supply are pushing prices higher. In Germany, for example, a recent study projected that as mobile A/C adoption increases under future heatwave scenarios, peak load could jump significantly—potentially creating new stress points in the power grid. It is a self-fulfilling circle. 

What is more, extreme heat makes the electric grid more vulnerable as natural gas turbines are 25% less efficient in hot weather. In the U.S., utility companies are trying to cope by upgrading the grid.

2. Home Insurance If You Can Get It

The U.S. home insurance market is being reshaped by climate change. Between 2020 and 2023, homeowners’ insurance premiums rose by more than 30%, driven in part by the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters. As a result home insurance companies are charging nearly everyone higher premiums to cover more claims for damaged or destroyed homes.

States at higher risk, such as California, Florida, and Louisiana, are seeing particularly sharp increases, Florida has seen massive spikes in premiums after storms like Hurricane Ian (2022) or Hurricane Ida (2021). While some insurers have withdrawn entirely from the riskiest areas.  

Countries like Australia, Japan, and parts of Europe are also seeing climate-driven insurance hikes. For example, according to a report by the Australia Institute, the average home insurance premium rose 14% between 2022 and 2023 — the biggest jump in a decade.

Regulatory differences also matter: states with weaker oversight, like Oklahoma, may see higher premiums as companies adjust to risk. 

Beyond climate, other factors—elevated interest rates, rising construction costs, and skilled labor shortages—also push prices higher. However, climate change remains a central driver, as insurers are forced to cover increasingly frequent claims for hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other extreme events. 

3. Climate Change Impacts Human Health Costs

Climate change threatens human health in countless ways – natural disasters cost lives, from wildfires to flooding to extreme heat. Researchers from Imperial College London found that 2 out of 3 heat deaths in Europe this summer were directly linked to global warming. 

In hard numbers that equates to 16,500 deaths. 

It is not just extreme weather hurting us, climate change causes atmospheric pollution, such as raised levels of ground ozone and particulate matter which impact lung health.

Studies show that climate change will have enormous health-related costs globally. One study of 69 low and middle income countries, estimates that by 2050, climate-related health problem (like heat stress, infectious diseases, malnutrition) and deaths could cost $8.6–$20.8 trillion, with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia hit hardest. 

In the U.S., extreme temperatures drive up both health insurance premiums and healthcare use. Heat‑event days are linked to roughly 235,000 extra emergency department visits and more than 56,000 additional hospital admissions each summer — adding about $1 billion in healthcare costs. There is even evidence that climate change might increase the likelihood of pandemics.

4. Groceries

Food prices are rising worldwide due to climate change. Extreme weather events like flooring, storms and extreme heat, are making it harder to grow crops and fruits.

This in turn is causing sudden, unpredictable leaps in prices for many types of food. For example, vegetable prices rose by 80% in California in November 2022, cabbage prices rose by 70% in South Korea in the summer of 2024, and rice jumped by 48% in Japan in September 2024, all due to extreme heat events. Studies suggest that for every degree the Earth warms, the world loses the ability to produce 120 calories of food, per person, per day.

Climate change and extreme weather can reduce food supply and raise prices, forcing low-income families to buy cheaper, less nutritious food. This can worsen health outcomes, causing a myriad of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and mental health conditions. Food scarcity also increases social stress and can contribute to inflation and unrest, could potentially influence political behavior.

5. Gas Prices Are Vulnerable

Oil is both unsustainable and nonrenewable. It forms from the remains of ancient plants and animals over millions of years, meaning the world is depleting oil far faster than it can ever be replaced. Because our dependence on oil remains high, shrinking supplies eventually push  prices upward.

Climate change makes this volatility worse. In the U.S., for example, hurricanes—made more intense by warming oceans—can force refineries to shut down, sending gas prices soaring within hours. Extreme heat also disrupts refinery operations by reducing efficiency, limiting how much gasoline can be produced and raising  prices on the smaller output.

Extreme heat—another consequence of climate change—reduces refinery efficiency, limiting how much gasoline (petrol) they can produce. With less output, prices rise. And the longer we rely on oil without investing in alternative energy sources, the more frequent and severe these disruptions will become.

6. Water

Climate change increases the chances of drought in many parts of the world,  leading not only to water contamination but also contributing to higher prices. In America, water and sewer bills rose by 50% from 2013-2023, in part due to climate change harming water infrastructure, and partly as a result of city councils trying to “encourage water conservation” due to droughts.

Likewise, a recent study in England found that, while prices have been intentionally suppressed for several years, this will become increasingly impossible to maintain in the future. To modernize aging infrastructure and deal with population growth, UK households will have to start paying around 30% more between now and 2030 for their water supply. 

Changes in water availability are also projected to decrease hydroelectric power generation up to 23% by 2050. This too may increase electric bills.  Additionally, rising water costs may impact food production and again harm human health. The impacts of climate change are clearly having a compounding effect on our health and over all affordability.

If this incentivizes you to make pro-planet choices – check out our EARTHDAY.ORG 2025 theme, OUR POWER, OUR PLANET. We’re calling for the world to triple its renewable energy generation by 2030, and every person who petitions their government to transition to renewable energy is helping to secure a better and more affordable  future for us all. 

Sign the Renewable Energy Petition today.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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Pop quiz! See if you can name the five famous figures described below:

A Grammy award winning superstar with “Ocean Eyes.” A migrant rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association. A legendary F-1 racer with the words “Still I Rise” tattooed across his back. A Swedish environmental and human rights activist bent on meaningful action over words. A popstar-actress stunning audiences in her most recent performance as Glinda in a film adaptation of Wicked.

What do these giants of the 20th and 21st centuries have in common? I’ll give you a hint: it has everything to do with fruits and veggies and nothing to do with meat. They are all vegans!

For those in need of a refresh, veganism is a spectrum of animal-product abstinence, ranging from those who don’t consume meat, eggs, and dairy-products to those who also avoid honey, leather, and any animal-tested products from their lives. Generally, vegans try to avoid exploiting animals for any purpose, including in their diets but also through entertainment — some vegans avoid zoos, aquariums and any form of ‘safari’ or marine parks that force animals to perform. 

In terms of benefits, a vegan diet comes with decreased risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and lower LDL-C cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

On a societal level, if more of us went vegan it would dramatically reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with animal farming — from clearing forests for pasture to the production of animal feed and especially reducing the methane emission and waste from cows, pigs, chickens, and other farmed animals. A single cow produces between 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas every year, collectively the world’s 1.5 billion cattle, raised specifically for meat,  release 231 billion pounds of methane  into the atmosphere each year. 

As World Vegan month marches on this November, let’s explore some of the most influential vegan figures of the last couple of decades, from activists to athletes to singers. Each one has found something meaningful in their animal-free diets and each one touts the benefits, either for health reasons, out of environmental concern, or from a deep-seated love for our fellow animals.

On Tour & Beyond: Billie Eilish

Singer-songwriter and outcast anthem queen Billie Eilish refuses to shy away from taboo topics — including those around body image and diet. The 23-year-old popstar grew up in a vegetarian household and eventually initially switched to a vegan diet over body insecurities. However, her beliefs deepened once she learned about the animal cruelty rampant in the dairy industry.

On her 2024-25 tour for the album Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie has requested that arenas serve plant-based options. At the O2 Arena in London, the menu featured vegan chipotle tacos, peri-peri halloumi wraps, and corn naan. Additionally, Billie advocates for sustainable venue practices, encouraging fans to bring reusable water bottles and selling merchandise made from recycled cotton.

From the Farm: César Chávez

Founder of the National Farm Workers Association (now the United Farm Workers), César Chávez worked tirelessly for the rights of farm and migrant workers. Made famous by his powerful leadership and nonviolent tactics, Chávez participated in the Delano Grape strike and the 340-mile march from Delano to Sacramento in 1966.

And Chávez didn’t just fight for human rights. He took compassion and nonviolence to their logical next step: animal rights.

For the last 25 years of his life, Chávez was a dedicated vegan and took pride in converting friends and family to plant-based diets. He called for the end of animal exploitation, just as he had for workers in his early life.

Athletes Galore! Lewis Hamilton

Legendary British F-1 racer Sir Lewis Hamilton has the respect of every one of his peers. He’s risen to the top of the all-time pole positions list, surpassing even his idol Ayrton Senna. From his rookie performance in 2007 to his seventh Formula-1 championship, Hamilton consistently outperforms expectations, reaching for the top. And, he credits much of his success to his vegan diet.

Hamilton went vegan in 2017 out of concern for the environment, citing animal cruelty and pollution. He says his diet keeps him in peak physical condition. For those interested in following his lead, Hamilton recommends a gradual transition rather than full-throttle veganism. “Don’t go hard,” he says. “Because it is hard. You’ve just got to taper things off.” After switching, the racer discovered a love of vegan pancakes and avocado toast.

An Activist’s Stance: Greta Thunberg

From the her beginnings outside of the Swedish parliament holding a cardboard sign emblazoned with the words “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (school strike for the climate) to her numerous attempts to reach Palestine with humanitarian aid, social and environmental activist Greta Thunberg has cemented herself as an outspoken proponent of human and planetary rights. And her dedication to the environment isn’t confined to her public life.

Thunberg went vegan in 2013 at the age of 10. In 2012, she collaborated with vegan charity Mercy for Animals in the short film For Nature which explores the ecological costs of animal farming on biodiversity, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions.

From the Stage: Ariana Grande

One of the quintessential pop stars of her generation, vocal powerhouse Ariana Grande has packed her career with awards and chart records, building an iconic and instantly recognizable image. And, a part of that famous image involves advocating for animal rights and a plant-based diet.

Grande went vegan in 2013, curbing her junk-food diet to lose weight and find confidence in her body image. Beyond her own health and happiness, the singer is very vocal about animal product consumption and animal rights. In an interview with Viva!, Grande said she didn’t think humans should be drinking milk from cows. In November 2020, she founded Orange Twins Rescue, a Los Angeles based nonprofit that gives abandoned animals a second chance.

Taking Inspiration from Our Idols

Veganism isn’t exclusive to celebrities and activists. Like Billie and Ariana, a plant-based diet may help you feel happier, healthier, and more positive about your body. Like Lewis, you might find yourself with more energy and fewer allergies. Or, like Greta and César, the fight for animal rights may push you to make a difference within your own life and diet. Whatever the case, there are options out there to begin a sustainable vegan transition. 

If you want to learn more about how the cattle industry and predatory fishing is impacting the Brazilian rainforest and mangroves – please watch our brand new series UNDERREPORTED EARTH – “TREE TALES”– IG TRAIL.  Tracy McVeigh from The Guardian speaks with three top investigative journalists about their groundbreaking reporting: Elisangela Mendonça uncovers how the Amazon rainforest is being threatened by the beef and related bovine collagen industry. Josephine Moulds takes us into the Congo Basin, where fossil fuel auctions are endangering one of the world’s most vital forest ecosystems. Ana Bottallo travels deep into the Amazonian mangroves to witness how local communities fought to protect their forests from predatory fishing  — and to have their voices heard.

The episodes go live November 17/18th/19th across EARTHDAY.ORG social media  on Facebook: Ep.1, Ep.2, Ep.3   and YouTube:  Ep.1, Ep.2, Ep.3.Remember plant-based diets are one of the most effective ways to fight climate-change in your own life. Meatless Mondays or Veganuary are structured time periods to try animal-free diets without jumping straight into a full-on diet change. For more information on food and regenerative agriculture, click here. Find more information on the history of veganism here.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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As world leaders gather in Belém, for COP30, the United Nations Climate Conference, there is no better time to celebrate the extraordinary natural wonders of Brazil. Brazil isn’t just a backdrop for climate discussions — it is a living laboratory of evolution, a treasure trove of biodiversity, and home to some of the most bizarre and beautiful phenomena on Earth. From blushing dolphins to deserts that sprout lagoons with fish, here are eight incredible facts about Brazil that will change the way you see this remarkable country.

1. Dolphins That “Blush”

The Amazon River is home to an enchanting creature: the boto, or endangered pink river dolphin. While these freshwater dolphins are born gray like their oceanic counterparts dolphins, they gradually transform into various shades of pink as they mature. Their exact coloration depends on a mix of factors, including diet, sun exposure, and the layout of their blood vessels. Male dolphins can display more vibrant pink hues because their aggressive playing and fighting creates scar tissue that intensifies their rosy color. Perhaps most charmingly, some of these dolphins can turn brighter pink when excited or apparently embarrassed — just like a blushing human! 

These dolphins also possess unusually flexible necks that allow them to rotate their heads a full 180 degrees, allowing them to navigate the flooded forests and winding tributaries of the Amazon. A local folklore legend claims that the boto transforms into a handsome man at night, seducing unsuspecting women.

2. Desert Lagoons Full of Fish

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in northeastern Brazil is a Sahara of white sand dunes. Each year, it transforms as turquoise lagoons appear among the dunes — filled with fish!

From January to June, torrential rains fill the valleys between the dunes with thousands of turquoise lagoons, which are prevented from draining by impermeable rock underneath the sandy surface. Remarkably, these temporary pools become full of fish. These traíra, or wolffish, survive the dry season by burrowing into wet layers of mud and entering a dormant state. When the rain returns months later, the wolffish emerge to populate the lagoons once again.

3. Surfing a Wave in the Amazon

The Pororoca is an extraordinary surfing phenomena. The Pororoca is a tidal bore — a wave that travels up a river, against the current — making its way up to 500 miles upstream of the Amazon River. Brazilian surfing legend Picuruta Salazar made history by riding a single Pororoca wave for 7.8 miles for over 37 minutes.

4. One Tree the Size of a Forest

In northeastern Brazil is the Pirangi cashew tree, a single cashew tree so gigantic that it is estimated to cover between 1.8 and 2.1 acres of land. Its circumference measures 1,600 feet, which is equivalent to 70 standard, adult cashew trees. In addition to its impressive size, the Cashew of Pirangi is estimated to be over 1,000 years old.

5. An Island Ruled by Snakes

Off Brazil’s Atlantic coast lies Ilha da Queimada Grande, ominously known as “Snake Island” — an isle that lives up to its name. This small island is packed with 2,000 – 4,000 golden lancehead pit vipers, a critically endangered species found nowhere else on Earth. 

Local legend abounds with tales of tragic fates — from a fisherman discovered dead in his boat covered in bites after landing in search of bananas, to the last lighthouse keeper and his entire family, who allegedly perished in the 1920s when snakes slithered through their windows. The Brazilian Navy has prohibited public access to protect both the snakes and would-be visitors from each other.

6. Dust Feeds the Amazon

One of nature’s most remarkable long-distance relationships connects two seemingly disparate ecosystems: the Amazon Rainforest and the Sahara Desert. 

In 2015, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, used satellite technology to measure this phenomenon, discovering that wind and weather patterns lift an average of 182 million tons of dust from the Sahara each year and carry it on a 1,600 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean — with 27.7 million tons settling in the Amazon basin. In 2021, this dust was estimated to deliver approximately 22,000 tons of phosphorus, an essential nutrient for plant growth — roughly the same amount the Amazon rainforest loses every year to rain and flooding.

It is a stunning reminder that Earth’s ecosystems are intimately connected, even across vast distances.

7. Jaguars of the Giant Wetland

The Pantanal in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay is the world’s largest tropical wetland, covering an area 20 times larger than the Florida Everglades. This seasonally flooded plain harbors the highest density of wild jaguars anywhere on Earth. While jaguars are typically elusive in dense rainforests, the Pantanal’s open wetlands provide the best place on Earth to catch sight of these cats.

8. Earth’s Biodiversity Champion

Brazil is the undisputed champion of global biodiversity. Between 15 to 20 percent of all known species on Earth call Brazil home. This extraordinary diversity of life stems from Brazil’s array of ecosystems — six terrestrial biomes that allow a variety of life to flourish. Brazil’s biodiversity continues to grow, with an average of 700 new animal species discovered each year.

As world leaders gather in Belém, these eight facts serve as a powerful reminder of what’s at stake. Preserving Brazil’s natural heritage isn’t just about preserving remarkable facts for articles — it’s about safeguarding the ecological systems upon which all life, including our own, depends. As we look towards Belém for COP30, let Brazil’s extraordinary nature inspire us to take bold action for our shared planetary home.

Join EARTHDAY.ORG in growing a greener future through our Canopy Tree Project! We are on a mission to plant 60 million trees by our 60th anniversary — and we can’t do it without you. Your support helps restore forests, clean the air, and protest biodiversity around the world. Please consider donating to the project and help keep our planet green!

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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We live in an age where we have access to all the information that we could ever imagine, but not all of it is factual. Fake news is everywhere. It’s almost impossible to avoid fictitious information; 86% of people across the world report seeing inaccurate information on the internet as nearly 2/3 of the information we can encounter online is factually disputed.  

With this tsunami of  false information, we tend to believe the things that support our own ideologies. Although climate change is based on hard science and facts, climate change has become a political issue. 

Today is Ask a Stupid Question Day, and to recognise it, here are 7 things climate deniers say that they don’t realize make them sound unhinged. 

“Extreme weather events are just nature at work.”

Sure, nature has always thrown the occasional tantrum. But when record breaking tantrums start happening more frequently, maybe it’s not just nature anymore.

Enter: extreme event attribution. It’s the process of figuring out whether climate change helped fuel a particular disaster, like how you might figure out whether a fire was caused by lightning, or arson. With extreme weather events, there’s always a whole group of contributors: natural climate patterns, God, randomness, and now, human-caused global warming. Scientists use attribution studies to figure out just how much of the damage was caused by climate change versus natural variability. Spoiler: turns out based on facts that climate change is the big culprit.

Hurricanes are caused by warm oceans and an increase of water in the atmosphere; two things exacerbated by climate change. Human-caused emissions have also increased global temperatures. It’s not just a coincidence; it’s cause and effect. Just like more water evaporation leads to more droughts and drying vegetation causes more wildfires.

These impacts are not just anecdotal. In the 1980s, the U.S. would averaged a billion-dollar climate disaster every 4 months. Today? It’s every two months. And these statistics are after adjusting for inflation. 

“First it was a new ice age coming, then it was global warming and now it is climate change, it’s baloney.”

The climate has always changed. That part is true. Earth’s history is full of warming and cooling cycles, often driven by natural spikes in greenhouse gases.

But what’s happening now isn’t part of some slow, ancient rhythm. It’s not nature doing its thing. It’s humans pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at a higher pace the planet has never seen before. 

Increases in CO₂ levels have led to a 5-8 degree Celsius  increase in temperature over the last thousand years, which has already triggered massive environmental upheaval including mass extinctions of ocean life forms. 

Expert scientists predict that temperatures could rise a further 4°C in just over 50 years. 

And no, scientists didn’t “change their minds”, their terminology evolved as the facts deepened. “Global warming” refers to the rise in Earth’s average temperature. “Climate change” is the broader term that captures long term changes, not just the warming, but all the ripple effects: rising seas, stronger storms, shifting weather patterns, disappearing glaciers. Same crisis, fuller picture.

“Carbon dioxide (CO2) is good for trees and plants.”

Ah yes, the “greenhouse gases are just plant vitamins” argument. It’s like saying waterboarding is good for you because you need to stay hydrated. It’s 100% true that plants need CO₂ to grow, just like we need oxygen. But too much of a good thing can tip the scales. 

Yes, in controlled settings like greenhouses, higher levels of CO can sometimes help plants grow faster. However, this benefit is small compared to the much larger negative effects of global warming. Once temperatures rise beyond about 1°C (1.8°F), the damage from heat stress, droughts, and extreme weather begins to outweigh any potential gains. Since the global average temperature has already risen about 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, we’re already seeing those harmful impacts take hold.

Heatwaves can fry crop yields. Droughts starve fields. Floods wash away topsoil. Increased temperatures help pests thrive and eat through plants. And shifting weather patterns throw planting seasons out of whack.

So while CO₂ might give plants a little boost in theory, in practice it’s like giving someone a free gym membership while their house is on fire.

“Science hasn’t proved climate change is real, lots of scientists are unsure.”

This one’s a greatest hit in the climate denial playlist, but it’s wildly out of tune with reality.

The science is proven. There is overwhelming evidence that Earth is warming, and fast. More than 99.9% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that humans are the main cause, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels. That’s not just a vague consensus; it’s the strongest agreement you’ll find in any scientific field short of gravity existing. Or are we going to be told next that gravity is just a ‘belief’?

We’re not talking about one study or a handful of scientists in a lab somewhere. This is global. We’re seeing rising global temperatures, record-breaking levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, melting glaciers and ice sheets, rising seas, and increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather — and it’s being measured and confirmed by  the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, and every major national science academy on the planet.

Climate Change is real. End of. Whether you believe it or not.

“It’s God.”

Let’s get one thing straight: blaming climate change on “God’s will” is a spiritual cop-out. 

Some Christians take Genesis 1:26 – where God gives man dominion over creation and all his creatures – as permission to use and abuse the Earth’s resources. But reading that verse in isolation is missing the message as a whole. Look one chapter ahead: Genesis 2:15 tells us we’re meant “to dress it and to keep” the Earth, not strip it bare for profit. Stewardship isn’t exploitation. It’s a calling. An act of worship.

And just as the Bible says to care for the Earth, Jesus was clear: Love God. Love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36–40) That includes neighbors in the Global South who’ve done the least to cause climate change, yet suffer the most.

Pope Francis made it clear: climate change is a moral crisis rooted in human greed. He stood up to oil executives. He called for a “radical energy transition.” He challenged wealthy nations to take responsibility for their pollution. His message was simple but powerful: faith is not passive. It’s active.It demands courage.

The truth is, climate change isn’t a divine plan, rather it’s a human problem. 

“Well whatever it is, it won’t impact me.”

Oh? Really? 

Reality check: whether you realize it or not, it already is your problem.

The World Health Organization reports that 3.6 billion people are already living in areas highly vulnerable to climate change. And between now and 2050, the climate crisis is expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths every single year  from undernutrition, heat stress, malaria, and diarrhea alone. That’s not some distant future, it’s in your lifetime.

Not worried about your health? Cool;  let’s talk about your job. By 2030, extreme heat could wipe out 3.8% of total working hours globally; that’s $2,400 billions of dollars in lost productivity. Meanwhile, the green economy is booming. 

According to LinkedIn, green jobs are growing faster than any other sector, with 100 million new jobs expected by 2030. Green talent is being hired at a rate 54.6% higher than average. Translation? If you’re not paying attention to climate solutions, you’re missing opportunities.

Still not sweating? Let’s talk about housing. In the U.S. alone, over a quarter of homes are now at severe or extreme climate risk, putting $12.7 trillion worth of real estate in danger. Insurance costs are skyrocketing, homes are losing value, and entire neighborhoods are becoming unlivable.

So unless you’re immune to heat, disease, job markets, and real estate crashes; climate change will impact you. 

“Nothing I do can make a difference so who cares?”

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a global crisis. The headlines are overwhelming. The stakes are massive. And yeah, many corporations would love for you to believe your choices don’t matter. Because if you throw your hands up and say “Who cares?” Nothing changes and they keep making billions.

But the truth is, individual actions do matter, especially when they’re part of a bigger movement. 

Take plastic. Reducing your plastic use doesn’t just help the planet, it also protects your health. The chemicals in plastic are endocrine disruptors, which is a fancy way of saying they mess with your hormones. These chemicals have been found in placentas, breast milk, blood, lungs, even the brain and they’re linked to strokes, heart attacks, and potentially Alzheimer’s. So cutting down on plastic is self-defense.

Switching to clean energy helps too. Solar and wind are already the cheapest energy sources for over two-thirds of the world’s population, and clean energy is the fastest-growing job sector globally. By 2030, it’s expected to create 14 million new jobs in everything from solar installation and electric vehicles to modernizing energy grids. So when you support renewables, you’re investing in a better economy and mitigating climate change.

Even something as simple as joining a local cleanup (you can find a cleanup near you on the Great Global Cleanup map) or buying secondhand clothes can make a dent. The fashion industry is one of the dirtiest on the planet, responsible for up to 8% of global emissions. Choosing thrift over fast fashion reduces waste, cuts emissions, and saves money. Win-win-win.

Change happens when millions of people take small actions that add up. And push governments and industries to act bigger and faster. Action is the antidote for hopelessness.Now, if you don’t believe us, believe Exxon! In a 2023 report, Exxon projected that fossil fuel emissions would lead to 0.20 degrees Celsius of global warming per decade, with a margin of error of 0.04 degrees.  So now that you know what you can do, what will you do? Hopefully we’ve prepared you to tackle fake news on your own!

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A hundred years ago, billowing smokestacks and layers of smog were seen as societal progression. However, according to the most recent State of Global Air’s report, air pollution caused 8.1 million deaths in 2021, or more than 1 in 8 deaths globally. In fact, poor air quality is the second leading risk factor for death worldwide.

Partly in response to this, and to keep reminding us that gray smog blanketing cities across the globe is not something to celebrate, every September 7th is International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Now, we can celebrate the cities around the world that champion their clean, bluer skies. 

Sydney, Australia

Through the cloudy skies of seasonal bushfires and dust storms, Sydney still ranks for having the cleanest air in the world. In 2015, Australia established the National Clean Air Agreement, which sets a framework for guidance on air quality issues which is reviewed and updated every two years. The most recent work plan aims to further ensure consistent air quality reports, as well as continue to assess motor vehicle emissions. 

Australia’s Clean Air Agreement has raised fuel quality standards by lowering the toxic aromatic content in diesel and gasoline, as well as lowering sulfur limits. This is significant in reducing harmful emissions as air pollution occurs when harmful gases and particles contaminate the air, making it unsafe to breathe. Burning fossil fuels, like diesel, releases major pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10). So, cutting back on running vehicles powered by toxic chemicals and fossil fuels helps keep the air cleaner. 

Sydney has been preparing for a growing urban population, as people migrate to cities for work and opportunities. To try and get ahead of the added pollution that might occur, Sydney’s been phasing out the use of older, higher polluting vehicles in favor of newer cleaner EV vehicles. In June 2022, the government has set a goal to completely transition Sydney’s fleet of buses to full electric by 2035. Sydney has also introduced the Roadside Air Quality Screening Tool, which helps them assess how air quality is impacted by road traffic, and gives the city additional data to make decisions for clean air.

Taipei, Taiwan

Nationally, Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment recently increased their air quality standards,  by making them the strictest limits in Asia. 

The nation’s capital, Taipei, has an efficient public transportation system, the Mass Rapid Transit, established in 1996 and has greatly influenced the city’s air quality. Motorcycles were  common in Taipei, and they have caused a lot of environmental harm but motorcycle use decreases around MRT stations, showing how powerfully effective public transport can be. 

Taipei is also seeing a rapid expansion in the volume of electric vehicles on the road, largely driven by government  subsidies, with a goal to have more than 4,000 electric buses operating by the end of 2025 as well. 

In addition, Taipei has a long list of initiatives to combat the changing climate and in the last six years has widely embraced renewable, clean energy with the solar panel installations increasing nearly tenfold. 

Montreal, Canada

The transportation sector accounts for 25% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, heavy investment has been made in sustainable transportation. The Active Transportation Fund has allocated an average of C$3 billion annually into permanent public transit development, a program scheduled to start in 2026-27. This will support all modes of non air polluting transportation–from walking to cycling to rollerblading, and even cross-country skiing! 

The Greater Montreal Climate Fund invests in decarbonization projects and programs in the greater Montreal area. The Trottier Foundation established the Greater Montreal Climate Fund in 2020, and since then, they have awarded 35 grants and have invested an accumulated C$1.6 million for projects like MultiRés, a program that renovates residential buildings to be more energy efficient. They have also made significant investments to 7GEN, which is working on electrifying Quebec’s school buses.  

Montreal was one of the first major cities in North America to commit to electrifying their buses by 2025, resulting in the creation of the Zero Emission Transit Fund. The goal is to now invest in electric buses across Canada. The government plans to purchase 5,000 zero emission buses for school and public transportation.

Zürich, Switzerland

Switzerland has high standards when it comes to sustainability, and is even stricter on vehicle emission policies, which seem to tighten each year. Zürich, despite being Switzerland’s most populated city, is considered one of the most sustainable destinations in the world.

Which is why it is home to one of the most well-organized transportation systems in the world, where almost 50% of households do not own a car, and 27% of people rely on walking. 

The city has been expanding its infrastructure to support more cycling through the Masterplan Velo, which aims to double cycling participation by the end of 2025. Bike friendly spaces can be found throughout the city, there are even bicycle drive-in cafes. Cyclists can pull in and order a cup of coffee all without ever having to hop off the bike. 

No space is wasted in Zürich, city developers have creatively put pollution measurement sensors on street lamps, antennas, and rooftops to monitor air quality!

Moscow, Russia

Despite being one of Europe’s most populated cities, Moscow stands out for its progressive clean air policies. Moscow’s environmental monitoring agency, Mosekomonitoring, gathers and reports data on the health of the city’s air, water, and soil daily. 

Overall, Moscow has been working towards a gradual transition towards electric vehicles. In 2023, the city invested in 1,200 electric buses. Thanks to the investments in renewable energy and data monitoring, urban air pollution in Moscow has decreased over the past decade–with carbon oxides by 2.3 times, nitrogen oxide by 2.2 times, and particulate matter by 1.8 times.

Polluted air harms human health, often causing respiratory and cardiovascular issues. Tiny particulate matter that we cannot even see presents the most harm to humans, as its minuscule size can enter the lungs and even infiltrate the bloodstream. 

Our Power, Our Planet

The World Health Organization sets clean air guidelines that countries use to shape policy. These five cities are all breathing easier than anywhere else on Earth because they have prioritised clean, blue skies! 

The common denominator between these five cities is their dedication to sustainable development rooted in renewable energy. As the effects of climate change accelerate, we need to speak up about the changes our society needs to make.  For Earth Day 2025, our theme is Our Power, Our Planet. Act now rather than later, and sign our Renewable Energy Petition. 

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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