Contributed by: Catherine Uy

Today is the 45th celebration of Earth Day, yay, where people gather together to help demonstrate support for environmental protection. According to The Earth Day Network, the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and is now coordinated globally by The Earth Day Network and celebrated in more then 192 countries.

Here are five simple steps to make a difference on Earth Day:

1. Take public transportation: Taking public transportation helps reduce the amount of  green house gas emission, and lets be real, with the price of gas right now who really wants to drive their car? According to Earth Day Network, transportation accounts for 24 percent of global emissions. It is also the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Your options are unlimited when living in a city like San Francisco, you have Muni, Bart, Lyft, Uber, or even a bicycle.

2. Recycle: Do we need to say more? Recycling is one of the easiest ways to help planet Earth. It’s pretty simple, from throwing away your plastic bottles in the correct bin, to composting. At SF State, they even have three types of garbage bins, labeled with what goes into each, to make it easier to recycle. Recycling cuts down on pollution and cuts down on energy.

3. Reuse: By reusing plastic water bottles or your own grocery bag, you’re eliminating waste and sustaining the environment. Also….it saves you money. Aim for reusable items, not disposable.

4.  Conserve water: With California being in a drought this is also a good idea and there are many ways to make this happen. Take shorter showers, wash your dishes by hand, don’t run your sprinklers, or turn the sink off when brushing your teeth. Saving water is an easy thing to do and most of the time you won’t miss the water you’re not using.

5. Compost: According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, we toss out 40 percent or 20 pounds of edible food each month.  Instead of throwing it in your garbage, save those left over scraps of food and try composting it instead, it makes great mulch.