Easy Ways to Invest in Our Planet on Earth Day and Every Day

Earth Day 2022 is just around the corner, on April 22. It’s the day we celebrate our beautiful earth and the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Most importantly, Earth Day is an important reminder that it’s up to each of us to do our part to protect our land and oceans for future generations.

The theme for Earth Day 2022 is Invest in Our Planet. That investment can feel overwhelming if you look at the big picture. But like any colossal task, goals are easier to reach when we all pitch in and work together. When it comes to protecting the earth, small investments turn into a substantial contribution if every person participates in a small way, every day.

3 Simple Steps That Make a Difference

Are you looking for some easy ways you or your family can make a difference and invest in our planet? These three simple changes are a great place to start.

1.     Fight climate change with your diet

Did you know the foods you eat have one of the biggest impacts on the environment?  Global food production accounts for one-third of all greenhouse gasses that heat the planet. Animal foods like meat and dairy products produce twice as much greenhouse emissions as plant foods. In fact, meat and dairy products earn the top spot on the annual global emissions list.

That means swapping vegetarian or seafood options for meat can significantly impact the environment over time. Consider committing to one meatless meal or a meatless day each week and adding on. If you’re curious about your own diet’s impact on the environment — and how diet changes can help, check out these foodprint calculators.

2.     Tackle plastic pollution by removing, refusing, and rallying

Companies worldwide manufacture more than 360 million tons of plastic each year for everything from toothbrushes to cellphones to the furniture we sit on. Many plastic items, like containers, bottles, and bags are single-use items. Unfortunately, they live on for thousands of years in landfills and the ocean after they’re discarded. And often, chemicals from plastic containers find their way into our food supply.

If you’re already reusing and recycling those single-use plastic containers at home, good for you! Consider taking your efforts a step further by:

• Removing – Pick up any plastic you notice around your neighborhood, parks, or beach and place it in a recycle bin. Consider joining an Earth Day Cleanup — or gather a group and plan your own any time of the year.
• Refusing – Say “no thanks” to plastic straws, grocery bags, or plastic drink containers. Also, at the grocery store, try to buy products packaged in glass or paper instead of plastic.
• Rallying – Spread the word about plastic pollution and support companies that make a conscious effort to reduce plastic waste.

3.     Plant a garden and support the bees

The worldwide bee population is in serious decline. That has consequences for our entire ecosystem because bees are a keystone species. In nature, birds, insects, animals, and people depend on them. Foods, like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds, exist because bees pollinate the flowers of these plants. And imagine life without the honey they produce!

Bees are disappearing because of pesticide use, climate change, and habitat loss. Your family can make a difference by attracting more bees with a pollinator-friendly garden. This toolkit has information on bees and many tips for planting a bee-friendly garden. Gardening is a wonderful family-friendly way to support the bee population and enjoy colorful flowers and delicious home-grown fruits and vegetables from spring until fall.

How Rubio’s is Investing in Our Planet

Rubio’s has been committed to protecting our oceans and land for years, and we pledge to continue in the future. After all, without the seafood from our oceans and the produce from our land, we wouldn’t be here. Here’s an overview of some of our sustainable initiatives:

• The seafood in our menu items is responsibly sourced whenever possible. We proudly serve wild Alaska pollock, wild-caught Mahi-Mahi, and responsibly sourced salmon and shrimp.
• We use local produce from California’s Salinas Valley whenever possible.
• We’ve expanded the meatless, vegetarian, and vegan options on our menu.
• Most of our restaurants use dishware for guests dining in, and our compostable and biodegradable to-go containers are made from molded fiber, preventing more than 300 tons of Styrofoam from reaching waste facilities each year.
• To-Go Salad Bowls are made from raw materials derived from renewable resources. They are biodegradable, compostable, and chlorine-free. The lids are 100% recyclable.
• We’re partnering with the National Honey Board to help support the health of honeybees. You’ll see lots more honey as an ingredient in our sauces, salad dressings, and more — and that means more bees.

We hope you’ll join us in investing in our planet. Let’s all contribute something and together, we’ll make a significant impact on the earth’s health.