Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Yes, every year we celebrate Earth Day, but really, Earth Day is EVERY day. It’s easy to take daily things for granted like the land we live on and the air we breathe – and both come from our Earth. We need to be thankful for the things we take for granted. Here’s your reminder to thank Mother Earth, and here are a few ways to celebrate our Earth this Earth Day (April 15th) and every day.
Plant a Tree
This is probably the most obvious one because everyone suggests it. But, did you know that the air we breathe comes from trees? No trees = no air = no breathing. The more trees we have, the more fresh air we breathe.
Pick a Road and Pick up Litter
No one likes to see litter, especially in the areas they live in. Take a minute and think about the last time you drove past an area and said, “Eww. Look at that trash!” Get a few people together and spend an hour or two cleaning up that litter. Your lungs, the animals that live in that area, and others who pass by the area will thank us for this.
Plant a Garden
How about some fresh fruit or vegetables from your own backyard? The dirt and soil in our yards is just sitting there. Why not save some money this year and grow your own tomatoes? Or better yet, plant an apple tree for fresh apples and fresh oxygen. Apartment renter? Plant a single plant in a pot and stick it outside. Gardens don’t need to be big. They can be whatever imagine them to be in your space.
Go a step further and get a group of friends or neighbors together and plant a community garden where your whole community or neighborhood could enjoy the harvest. Everyone can pitch in and help make the neighborhood garden the best garden in the area.
Plant a Butterfly Garden
Insect numbers are dwindling as more housing complexes go up. Insects are good for pollination, nutrient cycling, pest control, and are good food sources for other animals. Planting a Butterfly Garden encourages good habitats for insects to live in or nearby. Plus, Butterfly Gardens will bring beautiful butterflies, humming birds, and bumble bees to the area. (Note: bumble bees do not have stingers!)
Remember our point above in the “Plant a Garden” section where we talk about neighborhood gardens? Why not have a neighborhood Butterfly Garden, too?
Recycle
We can’t stress this one enough. Recycling helps to reduce the amount of waste that is in our landfills. Picture it: When you toss something in the trash can, the trash gets picked up by trash trucks and is relocated to large areas of land. That land is now covered in just trash. Piles and piles of trash. Wouldn’t it be nice if that land was a butterfly garden instead? Recycling helps to reduce the amount of trash that sits on that land. Whether you used to recycle or have never recycled, start small this month and commit to recycling all plastic items instead of throwing them away. Next month, add to that – plastic and paper. Continue this pattern and before long, you’ll be cutting your trash down to one bag a week! Talk about saving money on trash bags!