What To Do on Earth Day

Here are 10 fun ways to celebrate earth day! We can save and celebrate our planet with some fun activities for the whole family. You won’t have to wonder what to do on earth day.

When is Earth Day?

Earth day is on April 22 each year. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the earth and ways we can do less damage to it.

Read more about Earth day here and scroll down for 10 fun activities to celebrate earth day!

10 Things to do on Earth Day

Swap Household Products For Eco-friendly Ones

There are some easy switches to be made especially in the kitchen and with cleaning supplies.

Move to use reusable towels instead of paper towels. Dry your hands with a towel instead of a paper towel.

If you need to buy one use plates pick something compostable. There are a lot of compostable options when it comes to trashcan liners, and coffee filters made from recycled paper.

Here is a post on having an eco-friendly kitchen.

Support Pollinators

Plant flowers and trees that encourage pollinators like bees and other insects and birds.

Adding flowers like Borage and butterfly bush will help to attract lots of pollinators. Look for native plants to your area that will attract insects.

Here is a list of the 13 best flowers for attracting pollinators.

Clean-Up Trash

There are a lot of organized trash pick-up days, but you can also pick up trash in your own neighborhood.

When going for a walk bring gloves and a bag and help clean up your local neighborhood.

Plant Something

Plant a tree! Trees give off oxygen, reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and provide protection for birds and wildlife.

A tall tree can provide shade to your home and therefore reduce the need for air conditioning.

Use Native Plants

There are many benefits of planting native plants! They help save natural resources and grow better where they are meant to.

Here are more benefits according to the US forest service website:

“Native plants do not require fertilizers and require fewer pesticides than lawns.

These plants require less water than lawns and help prevent erosion.
The deep root systems of many native Midwestern plants increase the soil’s capacity to store water. Native plants can significantly reduce water runoff and, consequently, flooding.

Native plants help reduce air pollution.
These plantscapes do not require mowing. Excessive carbon from the burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming and native plants sequester, or remove, carbon from the air.

Native plants provide shelter and food for wildlife promoting biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage.”

Make a Compost Pile

Recently we started a compost pile in our backyard and it was way easier than I thought. We have a raised garden bed that we used as our compost bin.

The bin is filled with dirt and we would dump all of our vegetable scraps in there instead of the trash. Keeping everything in a tight pile.

It was interesting to see how fast the food broke down and became one with the dirt.

There are a lot of ways to compost food and most recently our local trash collection is now encouraging everyone to put the food scraps into the green barrel instead of the trash can.

Here is a great article on all the different ways to compost.

Stop Using Pesticides

Pesticides are very harmful to the environment and to people. They soak into our food and cause diseases.

“Even though pesticides are sprayed on land, many times, they can make their way into a water source, such as a river, ocean, or pond. For instance: Pesticides from an orchid may end up in a nearby stream due to runoff. If a body of water becomes contaminated with the chemicals, many fish and other animals may die and get sick. This can throw the whole ecosystem off balance.” According to Nature.com

Conserve Water

Save water whenever possible. Take shorter showers, and plant drought-tolerant plants if you live in a desert.

If you live in an area with a lot of rain collect the rainwater to use in your garden. Rain is easy to collect by using a rain barrel and connecting it to the rain gutters on your home.

Plant a Garden

Grow your own herbs and vegetables if possible. This will save money and the environment.

Fewer items are being shipped all around the world and fresh food whenever you are ready to pick it.

Recycle Reduce Reuse and Refuse

I am sure we have all heard the slogan recycle, reduce, and reuse. These are very obvious, but something I have recently learned is the 4th R-word, refuse.

Refusing things is actually the easiest of all the R-words. Now when I go to buy something at a store I tell them I don’t need a bag or box to put it in.

If I am getting takeaway food and going home I pass on the plastic utensils, paper napkins, and free ketchup. There are so many things that we can refuse to take leading to fewer items ending up in the landfill.

Hopefully, these 10 things to do on earth day will inspire you to become more eco-friendly. Maybe you are already doing some or all of these, and if so I hope you leave me a comment with more ideas.

When buying gifts for family and friends try to choose something organic. Here is a great list of 15 organic gift ideas to check out.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FREE EARTH DAY KIDS COLORING ACTIVITY PDF

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