“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”
– Lady Bird Johnson
Earth Day is this Wednesday, April 22! Well, we like to think of it as Earth Day every day, but officially anyway…This one is even more special because it’s Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, and as always, there’s a new theme this year: Climate Action.
Usually there are lots of community activities you can join to celebrate, ranging from clean-up events to tree-planting events, to clearing out invasive species and more. This year will feel a little different, but there are still many ways you can celebrate it and do something good for our planet!
Reduce Your Foodprint
Do you know your foodprint? How we get our food, from growing it, to producing it, to transporting it, to storing it – it all takes a toll on the environment. Natural resources are consumed. Pollution is produced at nearly every point along the way (think pesticides, fertilizers, and even the smog from trucking it around the nation). And greenhouse gases are emitted along the way too. Your foodprint is a measure of these environmental impacts associated with the food with you eat.
Of course, there are many factors in our decisions about the food we eat: access, affordability, health, culture and even seasonality, to name a few. But there are ways you can reduce your foodprint. This Earth Day use a foodprint calculator to find yours and then use some of these tips to reduce it!
- Cook up a yummy plant-based, climate-friendly recipe!
- Indulge in something sweet with these 5 climate-conscious, plant-based food swaps.
- Try going vegan for a week! If it works, try for another week…and another week…and another…
- Learn food preservation techniques like canning, pickling, drying and freezing to enjoy fruits and vegetables year-round and minimize your food waste.
Get Crafty
The best way to keep waste out of a landfill is to find a way to reuse it instead of tossing it. So, get that glue gun warmed up and check out these amazing 100 DIY ideas for repurposing old or broken household materials into nifty new creations. Our favorites might just be the lights and bowls from old globes (we do kind of have a thing for travel, after all!), but there are just too many decide!
Cut the Plastic
- Eating a lot of take out these days? When you place your order ask them to leave out the plastic utensils. Not only will you reduce your plastic footprint this way, but you’ll eliminate an easy route for picking up unwanted germs. That is a win-win.
- If your local grocery store is not currently allowing reusable shopping bags because of pandemic concerns, you can still opt out of the single-use plastic bags. Leave your reusable bags in the car. When you check out at the register, have the items placed back into the cart, bag-free, and bag them yourself when you get to the car.
Go Native!
As far as we’re concerned, you can never have too many plants, inside or outside. But, when it comes to outdoor landscapes and gardens, native species are the way to go – planting native species reduces maintenance for you and the strain on the environment.
- Start your own organic vegetable garden.
- Add some native wildflowers to your garden to support the birds and the bees!
- Plant (native) species in your garden that will attract butterflies, hummingbirds and most importantly, bees, so they can thrive and pollinate your plants for more flowers and food!
- Conserve water by creating a rain garden.
Go Digital
In lieu of live gatherings try celebrating Earth Day by attending webinars and participating in virtual protests, discussions and social media campaigns, or watching documentaries.
- Check out Earth Day Live’s Earth Day 2020 – It’s a 3-day livestream mobilization, from April 22 to April 24, where “activists, performers, thought leaders, and artists will come together for an empowering, inspiring, and communal three day livestream mobilization.” Some stars will be lending a hand throughout the day, including Alyssa Milano, Chelsea Handler and Mark Ruffalo.
- Earth Day Network will also be live-streaming Earth Day Live to “flood the world with messages of hope, optimism and, above all — action.” Some of the guests include Dr. Sylvia Earle and Al Gore with some help from celebrities like Zac Efron and Van Jones.
- If you have Apple+ you can already check out Apple’s latest short film, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth. It’s narrated by Meryl Streep and follows the story of a 7-year-old boy as he learns about the planet.
- The NatGeoChannel will be airing special programming all day this Earth Day, and Born Wild: The Next Generation will premiere at 8/7c (in the US). It “presents stories of hope and gives viewers a revealing look at our planet’s next generation of baby animals and their ecosystems, which face daunting environmental changes.” Baby. Animals. Need we say more?
Whatever you do, however you celebrate, be sure to get into the discussion, too. Use the hashtag #EarthDay2020 on social media to be part of the global conversation. Happy Earth Day!
Rise & Rove is a modern group travel company with curated, led trips across the globe for like-minded, rad women. Small group size, unique activities, boutique accommodations, experiences with locals. Come solo, leave with new friends!
Check out our upcoming destinations! We will be rolling out new trips regularly and have some exciting things in the works!
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