As April ushers in sunny days, warm breezes, and an itch for summer, getting outside is on everyone’s mind! However, the great outdoors are not always guaranteed to be great, especially with the current carelessness that is displayed by humankind. The world’s oceans, mountains, lakes, air, and trees are threatened by pollution, and the fingerprints of human interference on planet Earth are deeply visible. April is when Earth Day takes place; therefore, it’s a great time to educate yourself about how you can help our planet stay clean and safe through small, conscious steps. Take this quiz to find out what kind of trash you are and how YOU can help reduce it!

Where would you like to visit?
a) The Great Barrier Reef
b) The Amazon Rain Forest
c) The Swiss Alps
d) Yosemite National Park

What is your favorite animal?
a) Dogs
b) Polar bears
c) Elephants
d) Dolphins

What profession would you go into?
a) Engineering
b) Marine Biology
c) Nursing
d) Business

Are aliens real?
a) Heck no!
b) Earth isn’t the only habitable planet in our galaxy, so maybe!
c) Absolutely yes!
d) I’ve never thought about it

How much do you care about the Earth?
a) We only have one planet, we need to protect it!
b) I want my grandkids to have a habitable planet
c) Greenhouse gasses really aren’t that bad
d) Let’s melt those ice caps!

What’s your love language?
a) Words of Affirmation
b) Quality Time
c) Physical Touch
d) Acts of Service

If you answered mostly A’s…
You’re a plastic bottle! Your trustworthy and honest personality draws people in, and your kindness can change someone’s life! You deeply appreciate art and music, and it’s easy for you to be easily swept away by new ideas and passions! Much like how 8 million pieces of plastic are swept into the ocean daily. In a single year, 35 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away. Of these, only 30% are recycled, while the other 70% end up in landfills, oceans, nature, and our streets. What can you do to help reduce plastic bottles? Start by trying to avoid single-use plastic products! By investing in a reusable water bottle, you could potentially stop hundreds of plastic water bottles from ending up in a landfill. Refillable water bottles also use less oil in their production. Small actions like this can make a huge difference for our planet!

If you answered mostly B’s…
You’re an old sock! You are dependable, and nearly everybody looks to you for advice or comfort! You are always on the go, and your sense of style is unparalleled! But did you know always looking your best in the season’s hottest trends is harmful for our planet? On a global scale, 92 million tons of textiles are thrown into landfills yearly. And of the clothes we throw away, only 13% are recycled or repurposed! What can you do? Fast fashion companies also rely heavily on child labor, with bad working conditions. Textile waste is hard to avoid, but if you can, try investing in higher-quality clothes. Durable clothing can last between 2-10 years. In comparison, fast fashion might last a single year. Or try donating the clothes that you no longer wear! This not only benefits the environment, but people in our community who rely on second-hand, affordable clothing.

If you answered mostly C’s…
You’re a banana peel! Your positive presence brightens everyone’s day! You also have a curious, inquisitive side that wishes to see the world in a new perspective. Your sense of humor is one of your best qualities, and you are always making people laugh. But do you know what isn’t funny? Over a third of all the food produced in the world is wasted. That is 2.5 billion tons. We could solve world hunger TWICE with that much food. And this waste comes with its own set of consequences. As food rots and decomposes in a landfill, it releases around 3 billion tons of greenhouse emissions. But what can one person do? Well, if you do the grocery shopping for your family, take inventory of what you have and what you need before going. This will prevent overbuying, and you won’t have to dump as much expired food. You can also try composting! It saves water, conserves space in landfills, and is super eco-friendly for the soil!

If you answered mostly D’s…
You’re a plastic bag! Your confidence and leadership turns heads everywhere you go! You enjoy the little things in life, like the sunset, your favorite meal, deadly microplastics. Hold on, you didn’t know? Plastic bags never fully decompose, and it takes 1000 years to break a plastic bag down. During this, microplastics are constantly released, which continue to pollute the environment. Globally, 5 trillion plastic bags are produced yearly, and of these, fewer than one in seven are recycled. More and more of the world’s wildlife die everyday because of plastic waste. How can we tackle such a large problem? Reduce your use of disposable plastic bags by using a reusable bag or tote when shopping. Or you can use the same plastic bags more than once! If you can, opt for paper bags at the grocery store. If you have an abundance of plastic bags that you feel like getting rid of, don’t throw them away, recycle them!