Posted By: Michelle Kuehler /
Earth Day is about recognizing and learning to respect the earth. Maybe on Earth’s Days passed you planted a tree and thought in vain about the affects of pollution on the planet. With the heightening influence of green initiatives and sustainable trends, however, Earth Day has become a day to recognize these efforts and to initiate conversation on how to create better solutions to lessening our footprint on the planet. This year, start to make real change in your own space and around your neighborhood.
Take a Hike!
Start the morning with a hike through the woods or a walk through the park. Try not to use any vehicles that use fossil fuels. Get some exercise and reduce these emissions by hiking, walking or biking.
Plant a Tree
This may seem like an obvious activity for Earth Day, but planting a tree in your garden can contribute to significant change in the long run. Planting trees helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, erosion and promotes biodiversity. Planting trees in your garden also helps to shade and insulate your home from extremes in weather, lessening your energy usage and your energy bill.
Get the Kids Involved
Teach your kids about the importance of Earth Day. Have a conversation about why taking care of the earth and sustainable practices are important. You can also involve them in a few Earth Day themed crafts. Help them to create homes for birds and butterflies or let them help plant a tree.
Grow Your Own Food
Start a vegetable, herb garden or plant a few fruit trees. Growing your own food gives you control of your food source and provides fresh, healthful produce for you and your family. Growing your own produce can also lessen your fossil fuel use by lessening the number of trips to the grocery store, saving you money at the pump, too!
Start a Compost Bin
If you haven’t gotten on the compost bandwagon, Earth Day is a great day to start one. You can place clippings, twigs and plant matter from your kitchen into your compost mix all year long, ending up with “gardeners gold.” Compost is a great way to limit the amount of rubbish that will end up in landfills and is a great nutrient source for your plants.
Make the Switch to Eco-Friendly Garden Products
Pesticides, herbicides and weed killers wreak havoc on the earth, destroying healthy organisms in the soil, threatening wildlife and washing into waterways after a rain. Switch to non-toxic, organic products, which nourish earth’s natural balance instead. Try Grower's Secret 521, a natural fish emulsion fertilizer that your plants and the earth will love.
Install a Rain Barrel
Sometimes, when it rains, it pours, which is great for your garden if you install a rain barrel. Harvesting rainwater lessens storm water runoff, lessening erosion, flooding and pollution that runs into our lakes and streams. Rainwater is free of chlorine and other additives, making it superior to water from pipes in supporting the growth of your plants. Harvesting and using rainwater can also dramatically lessen your water bill.
Clean up the Neighborhood
There are always a few groups out on Earth Day, working to clean up their community waterways, roads and cities. Join in or gather a few friends and go on your own mission to clean up your town or city.
Cook an Earth Day Dinner
End Earth Day with a delicious and relaxing meal. Plan a menu focused on locally produced and organic foods and produce from your garden. Go all out and invite your friends and neighbors and be sure to decorate the table with recycled decorations.