For the first Earth Day, in 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to raise awareness of environmental issues with such astonishing force that, by the end of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act, all came into being, with the Endangered Species Act becoming law just three years later.

Prior to that, a 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, dumped 3 million gallons of oil into the ocean, killing thousands of birds and poisoning seals and dolphins. In some places, along a devastated 35 miles of coastline, the oil was 6 inches deep.

The Santa Barbara spill caused U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson to take action. Nelson enlisted the help of Congressman Pete McCloskey, and together with Harvard student activist Denis Hayes, they built a national organization to promote environmental events across the U.S. They chose April 22 as the day they’d stage the planned events.

We’re still celebrating Earth Day on April 22. Yet, even after 46 Earth Days, the planet still could use some help. The Earth is warming, ice caps are melting, oceans are rising, forests are disappearing, and species are becoming extinct. What can one person do?

The effects of being environmentally aware are cumulative. If everyone did a few things, the impact would be enormous. Here’s a reasonable list from How Stuff Works, giving ten ways you can help our home planet:

• Watch water consumption. Fix leaky toilets, sinks, showers, and outdoor spigots. Drink tap water instead of bottled water. Plastic bottles take 1,000 years to biodegrade.
• One day per week, don’t drive your car. Combine your errands so once a week you can stay home. The average car emits about 5 tons of carbon dioxide a year, so eliminating even 1/7 of that is a considerable amount.
• Buy a bike, use it whenever you can, and eliminate even more carbon dioxide.
• Recycle everything you can. It’s estimated that if an office building of 7,000 people recycled all its paper, it would equal taking 400 cars off the road.
• Compost your food waste. What looks like garbage is part of the circle of life.
• Change your lightbulbs to compact fluorescents.
• In the summer, turn your thermostat up before you go to work so the air conditioning isn’t running when no one is home.
• Maintain your car. Underinflated tires decrease fuel economy. Remember that six tons of carbon dioxide? Don’t make it worse.
• When driving, eliminating jackrabbit starts and stops will also increase fuel economy.
• Turn off lights and appliances you’re not using and unplug chargers.

Even if you only do one or two things on the list, every little bit helps, and you’ve got a head start living at Encantada. Our apartment homes are located with access to dining, shopping, and entertainment, reducing the need to drive; our ceiling fans move warm and cool air where you need it most; and our energy efficient appliances, lighting, doors, and windows save money while helping the planet.