It’s time to update how we Earth Day.

For the first 50+ Earth Days, "reduce, reuse, recycle" served us well. But in 2023, it’s time for a new strategy: "reduce, reuse, rewire." Reduce energy usage by upgrading to efficient electric machines, reuse by relying on renewable energy rather than fossil fuels, and rewire your life by electrifying everything in your home and your vehicles.

As our co-founder Saul Griffith says, “There are a few decisions that really matter: where you choose to live, how you power your home, and what you drive. If Americans make a small number of decisions well, we can solve climate change together.”

Reduce

Swapping out a fossil fuel-powered appliance for an electric alternative reduces the energy required to do the same job. Multiply that by 1 billion machines and our nation will need less than half the energy we currently use. Electrification IS efficiency! And efficiency IS reduction!

• Induction stoves are 3 times more efficient than gas stoves. What’s more (or less!), they reduce the pollutants you breathe in your home, as compared to gas stoves, which increase the incidence of childhood asthma and release other cancer-causing chemicals, even when turned off.

• Heat pumps are often more than 100% efficient — you get more energy out than you put in. Plus, they’re 2 machines in 1, replacing both a furnace and an AC!

• Electric vehicles are almost 100% energy efficient, while internal combustion engine vehicles waste 80% of the energy in their fuel. Yikes.

Reuse

Which sounds better: A) Creating solar panels and an EV battery once and using them for a decade or two, or B) having to mine, refine, ship and burn fossil fuels every time you need to take a little drive? Electrification + renewable energy = reuse for years. Did you know:

• “Up to 99 percent of the metals and raw materials inside today’s batteries can be recovered and reused multiple times.”

• Once you go electric (and renewables increasingly power the grid), you will no longer be using up gas and oil that took millions of years to form — you’ll be reusing the energy of the sun and the wind.

Rewire

The best part about this is it’s all doable. We have the tech, we have the tools, we just need to rewire. In so doing, we’ll decrease or eliminate our harmful emissions while making our homes more comfortable and saving on energy bills.

Are you ready to rewire? Here are three steps you can take:

• Call an auditor — the home energy kind. Every home has its quirks, and you don’t want to be stuck installing an emergency gas furnace in the middle of winter because your electrical panel needs an upgrade. A home energy assessment will provide a clear direction on your next electrical steps. In some cases, this may include upgrading your panel and wiring.

• Make a plan. (You too, renters!) If you’re all-in on electrification and ready to get started, there’s a guide for that! Our free Electrify Everything in Your Home guide (written by Rewiring’s Joel Rosenberg) provides tips, checklists, and moral support on your path to electrifying everything.

• Start your electric engines! If you already know what you need to replace, GET GOING! Check out our calculator to see what tax incentives you qualify for, and pump it up!

So… how are YOU going to Electrify Earth Day? Click here to tell us which machine you plan to swap out next for a more efficient and advanced electric alternative.

Then, share one (or all!) of the images below with your friends over email, on messaging apps, or on social media to encourage them to make a big swap themselves.

Sample social share text & images

Struggling to visualize the impact of Electrifying Earth Day without the help of a large African hoofed mammal? You’re in luck! @RewiringAmerica created a series of giraffe-themed electrification fun facts just for you!

This Earth Day, let’s all reduce, reuse, and REWIRE by deciding to swap out a dirty-energy appliance for a more efficient and advanced electric alternative.

Considering getting a heat pump? These longnecks would thank you.

Wondering if a heat pump water heater is worth it? Tell that to this half-giraffe.

Evaluating an EV upgrade? Make sure to get one with a sunroof so these fellas can feel the wind in their horns on the highway.

From the wire

⚡ The induction range may be a homeowner’s next big kitchen upgrade! Could not agree more! And they even quoted Mr. Heat Pump!

⚡ SF Climate Week is next week: April 17-23. Over 80 climate events. Thousands of attendees. A week-long series of events gathering thousands of organizations and individuals working at the intersection of climate action and innovation to connect, collaborate, and accelerate solutions together. All SFCW events are independently organized. Register to attend or submit an event here.

⚡ Crowdsourcing Sustainability double feature: One of our fave newsletters is hosting not one but two electrical panels: Equitable Electrification & Just Transition featuring Rewiring America's Jamal Lewis on April 20th (register here) and an “Ask Me Anything” featuring our own Noah Goldmann and Joel Rosenberg on April 25th (register here).

Questions? Please visit our FAQs page.