Yesterday, the United States celebrated its 54th anniversary of Earth Day! But it doesn’t have to be April 22nd for us to show love to the planet… Here are twenty sustainable ideas for celebrating Earth Day all week, month, and life long!
1. Eat vegetarian (or vegan) for a day!
Check out this super simple, quick, cheap, and absolutely delicious Vegan Cashew Pesto Pasta! Ella Mills is an incredible vegan chef and founder of Deliciously Ella. I highly recommend her recipes and cookbooks!
2. Plant some herbs, flowers, or vegetables for a pot in your kitchen, a window sill, or a backyard garden!
Plants offer sooo many benefits and are the ultimate life hack. From increasing productivity and creativity to naturally purifying your home, science shows that plants definitely can improve your life. Don't believe me? Check out this article here for the evidence.
3. Volunteer to plant trees!
The Nature Conservancy is a program that offers tree planting opportunities in a bunch of states. My sister and I volunteered to do this in high school and we loved it. Planting 100 trees together was an amazing opportunity to spend time together, and we felt so proud by the time we planted the last one!
4. Go outside with a garbage bag and gloves to go pick up 50 (or more) pieces of litter!
Treat it like an Easter egg hunt. Invite your friends or partner to come with and challenge everyone to find the weirdest piece of trash!
5. Water challenge: Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth and take a three minute shower today!
Did you know that the average person wastes 4 gallons of water when they brush their teeth from letting the faucet stay running? Just turn it off!!!
6. Heat challenge: Turn down your home’s heat by 2 degrees if you’re somewhere cold, and turn up the air-conditioning by 2 degrees if you’re somewhere warm!
I hate being cold probably more than the average person, but hey, that's what layers are for I guess.
7. Start a compost bag in your freezer to store extra food scraps in.
You can put these in your compost bin later or use them to fertilize that new garden!
8. Watch an environmental documentary and learn something new!
See a list of my favorites here!
9. Read a book about nature or sustainability.
I recommend The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells, and In the Shadow of Green Man by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin.
10. Only drink beverages out of reusable containers (water bottles, cups, coffee mugs, etc).
11. Check out a local farmer’s market to support local farmers and bring your own tote bag to minimize food packaging waste.
12. Go on a hike and explore your surroundings!
Remember to practice the principles of Leave No Trace!
The results may surprise you...
14. Learn what the recycling regulations are in your city to see if all 1-7 recycling symbols are accepted.
PSA: most places don’t actually accept all seven.
15. Bike or use public transportation instead of driving your car.
16. Unplug outlets in your house to lamps, TVs, etc when they’re not in use.
Even if these items aren’t turned on, they are energy vampires regardless!
17. Donate to an environmental organization that you care about or symbolically adopt an endangered animal.
Need ideas for organizations to support? The Ocean Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, or the Wildlife Warriors are some of my go-tos.
18. Build or paint a birdhouse for your yard or patio!
19. Check the thrift store before other retailers for your new seasonal outfits!
If you do a spring cleaning sometime soon, donating to places like Goodwill is also a great way to give your old things a second life!
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