Happy 50th Anniversary, Earth Day! Here are 11 Ways to Celebrate from Home

On April 22^nd, 1970 roughly 20 Million Americans took to the streets to demonstrate their support for environmentally sustainable practices. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Congressman Pete McCloskey and Denis Hayes, a 25-year old from Harvard, built a national staff of 85 to get the word out and promote events across the United States. After the collective rallies around the U.S., both Republicans and Democrats worked together to create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.

It’s been 50 years since we became united in our concern for the environment. Normally, we would celebrate this achievement through rallies and marches across the globe, however, with the current state-of-affairs with COVID-19 we cannot “come together” in person. So how can we still celebrate this momentous occasion from home? Here’s a few ideas:

1.Post on social media about Earth Day and what we need to accomplish. Spreading awareness of how our environment and how it’s being affected by our actions is always a good idea.

2.E-waste Recycling! Take some time and go through your clutter and see what you can recycle or donate.

3.Test your batteries before disposing using a battery tester to determine remaining life of your batteries. This saves you money in addition to saving the environment.

4.Do some gardening! If you have the space in your backyard or patio you can start your own herb or veggie garden. Growing your own food and becoming sustainable can make a huge overall impact on the world. If you don’t have a patio or yard, you can always start a small herb garden in your kitchen window. Fresh food from the garden, when picked at its most ripe and delicious state, has more nutrients than the same food picked several days earlier on a farm and trucked to your location.

5.Make your yard a welcoming place for our little feathered friends. Build a birdhouse and enjoy their chirpy company in the morning while you sip on your coffee. Planting native specials will natural bring more birds to your yard and reduce the water consumption of your landscaping.

6.Make a promise to stop using plastic water bottles. It’s easy to get in the habit of just drinking water from plastic water bottles – it’s easy and you don’t have to worry about it being contaminated from pollutants. A better option is to invest in water filtering system for your home (such as Brita) and pick out a favorite reusable water bottle! In addition, drinking from disposable plastic water bottles may lead to chemical leaching and toxicity, which happens when certain plastics heat up in the sun.

7.Remember to turn off the lights! Sometimes we get into bad habits and leaving the lights on in an empty room is one of them. This is an easy way to save money and help the environment.