Earth Day is April 22, but there’s no reason why you shouldn't help out our planet year round by incorporating earth-friendly habits into your everyday life. At 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, we strive to donate and recycle where possible, in order to help keep our planet green. Not sure where to start when it comes to bringing Earth Day into your everyday life? Sometimes, the smallest actions make the biggest impact. Here are five simple ways you can celebrate Earth Day, on April 22 or every day of the year.
5 ways to have an Earth Day celebration
1. Hold a community clean-up
You don’t need to join an organized effort to make an impact. Instead, find a neglected park, playground, street, or community center and pick up litter. You don’t have to go far; if you’ve noticed your neighborhood is looking less than pristine, stay close to home and lend a hand in your own community.
Remember to bring essential supplies, such as rubber gloves, garbage bags, buckets, and tongs (sharps can be hidden in shrubs!). Consider making it a larger community project, and enlist a few of your friends, family, and even neighbors to join you in the fun! Spend a couple of hours with friends and family completing your own neighborhood beautification project.
2. Take a no-power hour
In a world where everyone is attached to their devices 24/7, a simple hour without power can be a struggle. But unplugging completely is not only good for your mind, it’s good for our earth.
Unplug your appliances, mobile devices, and anything with a cord, and see how long you can hold out. Use this time to read a book, take a walk, or just enjoy a break from your daily grind and bask in the glow of silence. If you’re really struggling, gather some friends and go device-less as a group. Doing it together will make it easier to unplug.
If possible, challenge yourself to go more than an hour. For the super-keen, you can even make this a weekly ritual and reap the benefits when your bills arrive in the mail.
3. Discover your green thumb
Few urban-dwellers harvest their own food, but there is something satisfying about cultivating a meal from the garden to your own dinner plate. Celebrate Earth Day by building a garden at home. The beauty of growing tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes is that they require minimum space and they’re resilient. Garden centers at home-supply stores, like Home Depot, have experts on-hand to give garden newbies guidance.
If vegetables aren’t of interest, or you have a smaller space to work with, such as an apartment balcony, you can still join in the planting fun! Consider planting flowers or small herbs. Not only will they brighten up your space, but it can be beneficial to the local wildlife.
4. Start a ‘Meatless Monday’ routine
Studies show that red meat is harder on the environment than the production of any other kind of meat. According to numerous studies, raising cattle uses 28 times more land and 11 times more water than for pork or chicken. Cows also emit a lot of methane — this means that giving up red meat is a more effective way of cutting carbon emissions than giving up your car! Help your earth out by incorporating a meatless meal (or two) into your weekly routine. It’s one of the simplest ways to improve the health of our planet.
If you want to challenge yourself, go from a meatless meal, to a full meatless day (like a Monday) each week. While you’re helping the planet, you will also be encouraged to try new recipes and experiment with different fruits and vegetables. Before you know it, Mondays could be your favorite day of the week!
5. Set yourself up for long-term efficiency
Are your clothes a little damp when exiting the dryer? How much water is your shower head really spewing? Are you still using incandescent bulbs? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, your home probably isn’t as efficient as it could be.
Make this the year that you invest in energy-efficient appliances or appliance modifications, and switch all your lights to LED. You’ll use less energy for daily activities like laundry, showers, making coffee, and food prep — and your wallet will thank you.
If we all lived a little bit greener, our planet would be a better place for everyone. Start making simple, earth-minded changes to your daily routine and live every day like it’s Earth Day. If you need help getting rid of any items and aren’t sure where best to dispose of them, let 1-800-GOT-JUNK? handle the work for you. We do our best to recycle the recyclables and donate the donatables, so you can focus on celebrating the Earth with your family and friends.
