As you probably know, Earth Day is April 22. It’s right around the corner. I try to celebrate the Earth every day, so I’m not really sure what I’ll do to make April 22 extra special, maybe dumpster diving or maybe throw myself out of my comfort zone and make a recycling convert. Since I don’t go very many places on Sunday, I may have to settle for doing that on Friday. I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know.
1. Plant a tree in your back yard: Besides being a fun activity for your family, planting trees help to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and they provide a habitat for a variety of other plants and animals. Go to your local nursery, and pick out the perfect native tree for your yard. Lifetime trailers make it easy to haul the tree home. More trees in your yard can actually lower your cooling bill by providing shade over your house. Everybody wins when they plant trees.
2. Make pine cone birdfeeders- Bring birds right to your yard and watch them as they enjoy a healthy snack. Making pine cone bird feeders is a fun and easy activity for children. click here for instructions. Keep in mind, birds from different areas need different nutrients, so do your research before buying bird feed. Also, try not to hang the bird feeder in front of a window.
3. Visit a nearby recycling facility- Recycling processes are fascinating and fun to watch. By visiting a recycling center, you can see how super, duper easy it is. Just give it that chance. If you save up recyclable materials to drop off during the visit, you’ll earn some extra change you can use to pick up ice cream cones afterward (our city’s recycling center doesn’t pay, but some do. We take our cans to a metal recycling center and we get paid for that.)
4. Sit with the family and set specific goals to recycle and save energy- It’s often as easy as changing your light bulbs, adjusting the setting on your fridge, or making a routine trip to a nearby recycling bin.
5. Plant or renew your vegetable garden- April is the perfect time to plan your garden. Section off an area of your yard or use a Raised Garden Bed, and decide what you’d like to grow this year. If you don’t have a yard, window boxes and large pots work just as well. Home grown vegetables are pesticide-free and help you save money. You can also nourish them with recycled kitchen scraps and grass clippings, using a composter. Let the children choose new types of fruits or vegetables to try out each year, and give them responsibilities in the garden.
6. Plant flowers at a local non-profit organization, church or community gardens- Contact the organization prior to planting. Most are thrilled when someone offers to beautify their grounds.
- Go on a nature hike- Nature hikes are a great way to appreciate the details of our beautiful earth. Pick a park or nearby trail, or visit a new place every year on Earth Day.
- Ride a bike or walk- Take some extra time out of your day and ride or walk to work or whatever activities you’re doing this Sunday. It’ll help you get energized, feel accomplished, get you ready to take on the day while helping the environment.
- Clean up litter at a local park- Parks provide places for everyone in the community to enjoy nature. Unfortunately, litter detracts from their beauty, and can be dangerous to people and animals. Bring some large bags and gather up trash to revive your park. Use sticks to pick up the litter you don’t want to touch.
- Attend an Earth Day event- Earth Day events are held across the nation, and are full of fun activities for both you and the kids. Pick a place close to you, events can be seen at http://act.earthday.org/ .
- Cook a special Earth Day meal using all non-processed foods- Invite the friends and family over to share a healthy, home-cooked meal. Get creative and decorate in an ‘earth day’ theme using leaves or potted plants, and let each guest take a plant home to add to their garden. Here are some good websites for ideas on how to throw an eco-friendly dinner party: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500171_162-4946088.html
12. And last, but not least, contact corporations, your local representative in congress, anybody who practices something that you would like them not to. Green4u has information on how to contact your representative in Congress. As a celebration of Earth Day, they also have posted companies that use Styofoam and ways to contact them and ask them to stop.
I contacted Chic-fil-a and Jumba Juice. I didn’t just ask them to stop, but why they should. With additional details, basically I said Styrofoam is just a bunch of chemicals, they give cancer, other health risks like death and they’re terrible for the environment. Some stores have a recycling bin the styofoam, so they at least care somewhat about the environment, but they’re reasoning for keeping the styofoam cup is that people are constantly praising their insulating abilities and until they find a cup that does that just as well, they’re not changing anything. It’s nice to know that people and companies have their priorities straight. You can’t put a price on a ice cold beverage. Actually, you can, it’s called cancer, death and a destroyed environment. I have still yet to contact anybody from congress. To be honest, it’s just the fact that I don’t know what to say. They make me so that if I started then everything would just be a rant and that’s not what I want. So, I’m mulling it over.
Earth Day reminds us we all share the same planet. Sharing Earth means taking responsibility for what we use and how we use it. It is a day to think of the environmental challenges we face and how to solve them. Protecting Earth is every person’s and every country’s responsibility.