This barn at Hankinson Farms near Alexandria, Ohio, features an “Everyday is Earth Day” message. The barn is located along SR 161/37 between Alexandria and Granville. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Monday, April 22, is Earth Day, a day that is set aside to consider ways and take action to make our world greener and our environment more sustainable.

First established in 1970, Earth Day has expanded to include more or or less the entire month of April to educate, raise awareness, take action and leverage resources toward making the earth a cleaner and less toxic place to live for everyone.

The theme of Earth Day 2024 efforts is about reducing the use of plastics in packaging.

In 2021, Americans consumed nearly 47 gallons of bottled water per person. That means each of us is responsible each year for disposing/recycling around 353 16.9-ounce plastic bottles after their use. In 2022, Americans bought some 15.9 billion gallons in bottled water, so all that plastic really adds up.

And that’s just bottled water. Consider that sodas, detergents, food items like yogurt and many other consumable products also use plastic bottles and containers as their primary form of packaging. Estimates suggest that it can take as long as 450 years for some types of plastic water bottles to decompose in landfills.

We can all do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle. Here’s a simple way — instead of buying cases of distilled drinking water, invest in a high-quality reusable cup (take care to note that your cup is made of eco-friendly and non-toxic materials).

I use an insulated metal cup that is virtually indestructible and keeps ice water cold for many hours, even overnight. It’s great for camping, traveling and just having around the house.

Then invest in a home water filter — it does not need to be a whole-house system costing thousands. Water pitcher-type filters are very affordable and quite effective.

So drink water for your health and reduce your use of plastic water bottles for the health of the earth.

Ken Drenten is creator and manager of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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