The 49thEarth Day is coming up on Monday, April 22nd. It all started back in 1970 when there were major problems with air and water pollution and no real oversight on how the manufacturing process in the United States affected the environment. The first Earth Day included massive demonstrations and bipartisan support from Congress (imagine that?!). It has since grown into the largest secular holiday celebrated globally.
So join in with one billion of your closest friends and celebrate Earth Day this year. Here are a few ideas to make this the best one yet.
Call your representatives
Kick off Earth Day this year by having a productive conversation with the staff members of your elected representatives. The Union of Concerned Scientists has a great article outlining which number to call, your strategy for the call, how to look up your representatives as well as tips (like calling the local office vs. the Washington D. C. office). These calls really matter! Different offices will have different methods for managing constituent feedback, but many will compile topics in a spreadsheet and present them to the lawmaker so they have a good sense of the issues their constituents care about. And don’t limit yourself to your House representative, senator and governor – check out who your local representatives are, such as your city councilor and give them a ring as well.
Go for a walk
This one is a no brainer – try to spend some time out in nature on Earth Day! So often, we take this planet for granted and only think about our short term needs. Not to get too trippy, but this planet is pretty spectacular. So many things had to go right to create the perfect environment for the millions of plants and animals to be able to live here. Take your partner/kids/dog/all of the above and go to your favorite park or beach and enjoy some time outside. You’ll soak up some vitamin D and reconnect with nature. Bonus points if you walk barefoot or hug a tree.
Pick up trash
As you’re out for your walk, pick up some trash! Bring a glove and a bag and go nuts. I started picking up trash about a year ago and now I can’t help but notice it everywhere. When I’m picking up trash, I always hope that someone else will notice and be inspired, instead of just think that I’m a weirdo! Litter can make its way to waterways or be ingested by animals. It costs local municipalities millions of dollars to clean up every year. Every time I see garbage on the ground, I get frustrated with people (did they really scratch a lottery ticket and then just throw it on the ground after they saw they didn’t win?). But I think a large percentage of litter is generated because it spills during the garbage collection process, or it blows out of overfilled trash cans.
Picking up trash has recently become the cool thing to do. There is a “plogging” movement which started in Sweden and involves picking up trash while jogging. Greenpeace also launched a “is this yours?” campaign where people tag companies (such as Coca Cola, Unilever or Dunkin Donuts) in their post with the hashtag #isthisyours to try to hold these large corporations responsible for taking part in generating massive amounts of waste. Check out my pinned “Dunkin” stories on Instagram to see how much Dunkin Donuts trash is scattered around Boston.
Donate to charity
If I’ve learned anything from going to grad school for sustainability, it’s that there are so many amazingly dedicated and creative people out there fighting to protect this planet. And they need help!
Here are a few amazing organizations that I recommend:
- Cool Earth – Cool Earth gives money to communities that live near the rainforest to help them defend against deforestation. Rainforests contain some of the most diverse habitats that are home to hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species. And if you’re wondering why you should care about rainforests when you don’t live anywhere close to one, here’s why: rainforests play a critical role in absorbing carbon so it doesn’t get released into the environment and continue to heat up the planet.
- Union of Concerned Scientists – this is an independent scientific organization which serves to uncover the truth by pushing for scientific transparency. They are a nonpartisan organization, but they’re certainly had their work cut out for them over the last two years overseeing the Trump Administration’s disregard for science and environmentally destructive policies. This site is a wealth of knowledge, and I find that I am on their site a few times a week on different topics. Even if you choose not to or you’re not able to donate, please check out their website to see the work they’re doing and educate yourself on the issues.
- Nature Conservancy – I am in awe of this organization. They work all over the world and tailor their efforts to what the local environment needs. Their aim is to protect land and water so people and the environment can thrive. I highly recommend checking out some of the work they are doing – from cleaning rivers in Massachusetts, to fighting deforestation in Africa, to protecting coral in the Caribbean.
- Earth Day network – Yes, let’s support the organization that brought us Earth Day! Not only do they get the world to pay attention to the earth on this global holiday, but they also lead huge environmental cleanups, fight plastic pollution and plant billions of trees.
- Flint Child & Health Development Fund – This charity is a little different than the others I’ve outlined. It’s an example of what happens when we don’t fight for a clean environment. Flint, Michigan hasn’t had clean water for 5 years. It’s no coincidence that this is a majority minority community. This is environmental racism in action; that’s when corporations or governments purposely choose to pollute or don’t take adequate steps to protect communities of color. In this case, the city wanted to save money and decided to switch its water source to the Flint river. However, because of the chemical makeup of the water, it corroded pipes which caused lead to appear in the water. Children who were exposed to lead poisoning have a long road ahead of them to bring that back to health and this charity helps support their long term recovery. Everyone deserves access to clean water and a healthy environment; let’s support these communities who don’t have access to this human environmental right.
Be vegan for a day
Why did this make the list for Earth Day? Reducing or eliminating the amount of meat (particularly red meat) we eat has a huge positive impact on the environment. The animal agriculture industry is devastating for the environment – it causes deforestation, water pollution and methane emissions. For more information on the impacts, check out the movie Conspiracy or my blog post on veganism.
Don’t be scared! I used to be a card-carrying paleo eater and I have successfully switched to a vegan diet. I’m not perfect – I’ll occasionally have something with dairy or egg if there are limited options, but overall it’s been so easy and enjoyable. It’s been exciting to learn this new way of cooking, and I’m still discovering new favorites. This year Earth Day falls on a Monday, so take part in Meatless Monday! Check out the hashtag #meatlessmonday for ideas, or check out my favorite vegan chefs/bloggers below:
Use reusables
This one is a piece of cake! Everywhere you go, try to use reusables instead of single use items. Coffee mugs, water bottles, utensils, bags – you name it! You likely have all of these items in your house already so there is no need to purchase anything new. Most coffeeshops are used to people bringing their own mugs, but it can be a little more intimidating to ask to use your own cup at a brewery or to ask a restaurant to put your sandwich in your own container. I definitely felt awkward the first few times, but now I am so proud to show that I’m reducing my impact on the environment. And the best part? I’ve had awesome conversations with the cashiers and other customers about why I’m doing it. Most people don’t even think to do it, but it honestly couldn’t be easier. Try it and let me know how it goes!
For more ideas, check out my blog post on reusables.
Plant something
Put your green thumb to use and plant something on Earth Day. Doesn’t matter what it is! This can also be a great activity to do with kids, I recently repotted a plant with my 2.5 year old. We made a mess, but it was a blast. Here are a few ideas on what to plant:
- Vegetables– Look for a local guide like this one for tips on what to plant and when. Certain veggies can be planted outside or started indoors.
- Herbs– This is by far my favorite thing to plant. Basil and mint are incredibly resilient, and taste delicious when you add a few clippings to meals. Just make sure to prune your basil plants and harvest often which will increase your yield. And get ready to make lots of pesto! We’ve also planted thyme, cilantro and parsley with great results. Even if you don’t have access to a yard or community garden, you can plant herbs indoors.
- Decorative plants– I have a problem, I buy way too many plants! We have a bunch of succulents, airplants, pothos, snake’s tongue, jade and aloe plants. Not only do houseplants look great, but they can help purify the air. Admittedly, I’ve killed my fair share of plants over the years. We don’t have great light in the house (and I’m bad at reading and following directions) so there’s been a lot of trial and error. Go to a garden store and chat with people there, they can help identify what will do well in your space.
And if you’re feeling really fancy, try propogating plants. It’s much easier than it sounds. Just clip some of an existing houseplant and put in water for a few weeks. You’ll notice that it starts growing roots, which you can then repot. So cool!
Minimize Emissions
The main contributor in climate change is carbon dioxide emissions. This can come from manufacturing, transportation, generating power and animal agriculture. So on Earth Day, see what you can do to minimize your carbon footprint. Here are a few ideas:
- Reduce your transportation emissions by riding a bike, carpooling or taking public transportation instead of driving or taking an Uber.
- Air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
- Don’t buy anything! Everything we purchase required resources to extract the materials, manufacture it, and transport it to the store. We have way more stuff than we need. For one day (at least), put the kibosh on buying anything new.
- Shop secondhand – if you do need something, check out the secondhand options in your area such as consignment stores, used books stores, Goodwill or you local Buy Nothing group on Facebook.
Read a book
At the end of your Earth Day, curl up with a good eco book. Here are a few of my favories, plus a few I haven’t read that are on my list. (Note – I have included links to the books on Amazon here. Please check your local library first, or consider buying a used copy from Amazon)
- Give a Sh*t by Ashlee Piper – I love this book! If you’re just starting out on living an eco friendly life, or if you’ve been doing it for a while, this book is for you. It’s written as a handbook of how to green your life across many different categories. Plus it has a healthy dose of humor and f bombs. You’ve been warned.
- Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability & Peace by Vandana Shiva – I recently learned about Vandana Shiva, and I am a big fan. She is an Indian physicist and climate activist who has stood up to destructive agricultural companies like Monsanto. She advocates for small farmers and sustainable farming practices. I haven’t yet read this book but it’s on my list!
- Project Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Combat Climate Change by Paul Hawken – This is another that is on my list, as it keeps coming up in my classes. Most times when we talk about fighting climate change, we are focused on reducing carbon emissions. Hawken has a plan to actually pull the carbon out of the air.
And I’ll leave you with one of my favorite books, The Wump World by Bill Peet. My mom read me this book when I was a child and I think this is what planted the seed of environmentalism in me. It’s about a beautiful and happy planet that gets taken over by polluting aliens who abandon it after they’ve destroyed it. I know, it sounds kind of strange, but I promise it will be more informative than any other environmental book out there. It’s the story of life and hope.
Happy Earth Day!
Hopefully a few of these will catch your eye and inspire you to get involved. Think of them as a practice round for the 50thanniversary of Earth Day coming up next year. The Earth Day Network has an ambitious set of goals that have been outlined and they’re going to need a lot of support. And no need to limit these actions to Earth Day, please considering implementing them year-round!
If you do get involved this Earth Day, I’d love to see pictures – please post on Instagram and tag me for a chance to be featured in my stories!
eco chick 