This Wednesday, April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day celebrations. Just because the pandemic we're in seems to have shut down many aspects of our lives, Earth Day is still taking place and is bigger than ever for this anniversary. Taking time to appreciate the nature around us is more important now than seemingly ever before, as it has become a place of refuge for so many people in a time of lockdowns and social distancing.
There are all sorts of ways you can do so without leaving your home, or, if absolutely necessary, at least without getting too close to other people. Here are 11 different ways.
Eat some plant-based meals.
Eating meat (or really any kind of animal product) is very harmful to the environment, due to the amount of resources that go into processing them for consumption. Most, if not all, of us have random cans of beans and vegetables sitting around in our pantries. Use your free time on Earth Day to try a new meatless recipe, and learn some facts about the meat industry’s relationship with the environment.
Start composting.
Save your leftover food scraps and other organic waste, outside in a pile if you have a yard you can use, or even in a spare container if you live in an apartment. The average U.S. household produces 650 pounds of organic trash a year which, if composted instead of thrown away, could break down and go back into the environment.
Tune into the online Earth Day celebrations.
Olivia Tussey
This option is accessible from whatever devices you have on hand at home! The Earth Day website is a great place to find ideas on how to get involved, as well as challenges and live-streams of speakers.
Learn about local and national politicians’ stances on climate change and the environment.
Be and informed voter and Look into different politicians’ platforms and plans when it comes to helping the environment! Greenpeace’s climate report card is a great place to start.
Watch a documentary on the environment or climate change.
“The Story of Plastic," “Chasing Ice," and “Before the Flood" are a couple of my favorites, but a simple Netflix or Google search yields dozens and dozens of options — ranging from just 15 minutes to hours long — meaning you can binge them all day long.
Start a garden.
Take part in a neighborhood seed exchange or (safely) pick some up from the store, throw on some gardening gloves, and get your hands dirty!
Pick up a book (or two) about the environment.
Classics and fan favorites include "A Sand County Almanac," "Ishmael," and "The Uninhabitable Earth."
Go on a walk, run, or bike ride.
Get outside and experience nature — with other members of your household, if you'd like — in whatever way you are able to.
Do a fun activity with the kids in your household.
Earth Day is especially important for children to learn about and experience. Watch an educational and entertaining kid's program on the environment, or go out and learn about different types of bugs, plants, and animals — you can even tie it into their homeschool lesson for the day!
Repurpose old items, and pick up a new skill.
Instead of throwing out things you don’t need anymore and replacing them with brand new ones, find a new use for them that you can craft at home during your free time (also called “upcycling”).
Stargaze from your yard, balcony, or window.
Finish off your Earth-friendly day by finding some constellations, which are now — hopefully — a bit easier to see thanks to the lowered air and light pollution that has come along with the pandemic.
Keep in mind, all of these actions are things you can — and should — carry out into your everyday life, especially if you want to have as good of an impact as possible on the environment. Now go out and celebrate Mother Nature!
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