Try out these ideas for reducing your carbon footprint and celebrating planet Earth all year!
While all communities probably have some sort of Earth Day event planned, there are plenty of ways you can celebrate at home too. Here are 10 ideas to try. Have another? We’d love to hear about it in the Comments.
1. Plant a tree.
Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time, famously said this: “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.“ While his area of expertise is investing, the literal meaning of this quote also holds true.
It takes a while to reap the rewards of planting a tree, but there’s no better time to do it than today. Perhaps your grandchildren will one day enjoy the coolness beneath its branches, the squirrels that chase each other around its trunk or the tart bite of its sun-warmed fruit.
As to the more scientific benefits of planting a tree, a 10-year-old tree absorbs roughly 48 pounds of carbon dioxide — a powerful greenhouse gas — per year, according to the Urban Forestry Network. When you think about the fact that CO2 is a gas, that’s an enormous volume that one tree sucks out of the air we breathe. As an individual, it can feel daunting to try to make a dent in global warming or deforestation. But planting one tree? That’s doable.
2. Start a compost pile.
Soil is a living, life-giving thing. Without it, we’d have nothing to eat. In light of that, Earth Day is the perfect excuse to start a backyard compost pile. Composting your food scraps and yard trimmings instead of landfilling them reduces methane emissions. It also leaves you with a wonderful soil amendment for your garden or even your houseplants. If you already have a compost bin, today’s a great day to tend your pile: Turn it, water it or harvest your compost, if it’s ready.
If starting your own pile is not possible, be sure you’re taking full advantage of your curbside organics collection program by looking at your city’s or garbage hauler’s web page. Your provider usually has a hotline with an operator who can tell you which items are accepted. Many programs now accept food and food-soiled paper as well as leaves and grass clippings.
3. Fix something.
Repairing something rather than replacing it is nearly always better for the Earth. Not only might it be less costly to repair an appliance than replace it, but you’re also saving all sorts of resources by not buying something new. Essentially, repairing your home item retains the energy and materials already used to make the original item, avoiding the consumption of additional resources embodied in the new item.
If you’re not the handiest person, consider taking your broken item to a professional, or calling a handyman or handywoman. These are generally higher-quality jobs than the ones you’d be supporting if you purchased a new, imported item. Contributing to better jobs performed locally adds even more to your sustainability quotient.
4. Encourage pollinators.
Bees and other pollinating species play an essential role in any garden but especially ones with fruit trees, berries or squash. Bees have been having a rough time the last few years, with some species’ populations crashing dramatically. You can do the bees and your garden a favor by adding plants they find especially attractive. Lavender, white clover, heather, Bellflower, and yellow mustard are among the many options.
In our garden, the most popular plant has been oregano, which we unintentionally let go to seed. We ended up leaving it that way after we noticed what a hit it was with our local bees. For more information on which species are best for your area, visit this site.
If you’re still using pesticides in your garden, Earth Day marks a great occasion for calling it quits and disposing of them at your local household hazardous waste facility.
5. Choose a species to follow.
Select one type of bird, insect or furry critter that lives in your own backyard and follow it over the next year. You don’t need to keep a log, put out a feeder or do anything special other than observe. What do you notice going on with that species? Over time you’ll become aware of changes in their numbers and habits.
I watch the crows in our neighborhood and have come to appreciate their intelligence. Paying attention to their behaviors has caused me to realize they have certain routines that are different at various times of the day. These shifted recently when a neighbor cut down a dead tree that the crows had tended to congregate in. Three weeks later, they still don’t seem to have settled on — literally as well as figuratively — a new tree.
Watching the crows has caused me to notice other species as well, and how they all interact. Sometimes I hear a racket outside among the crows and go outside to check it out. Sure enough, there’s a hawk circling above. I imagine the crows are protecting their nests against this formidable hunter. That makes me curious about the hawk and whether he has a mate and a nest of his own.
It would have been overwhelming to try to learn about my local ecosystem all at once, but focusing just on the crows gave me an entry point to a larger awareness of it that I hope to develop over time.
6. Join a CSA.
Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, programs have become extremely popular in recent years — and for good reason. They allow residents to buy ultra-fresh produce from nearby farms and orchards. Buying your food this way means it doesn’t have to travel far, and CSA farmers frequently use organic practices. For these and other reasons, subscribing to a CSA service helps to ensure a smaller eco-footprint for you and your family.
Many CSAs will deliver right to your doorstep and many will allow you to choose a quantity that’s right for your situation. In some cases, you get whatever assortment of fruits and veggies happens to be in season, but some services now allow you to select what you would like. The U.S. Department of Agriculture keeps a fairly extensive list that you can search online by ZIP code.
7. Buy nothing.
This idea sounds easy enough, right? But not buying anything — either in the brick-and-mortar world or online — for a whole day can be more challenging than you might think. Doing this does require that you have enough food on hand to get through the day, so be sure your refrigerator or pantry is adequately stocked before you try this out.
Not purchasing not only helps your pocketbook, but it is also an environmentally friendly practice. Think about your shopping habits and whether you buy things as a form of recreation. What could you do instead — bike, read, call a friend? Earth Day can be an opportunity to think about how you and your family might consume less in the future.
8. Read an Earth-themed book.
Maybe you’re not up for a big outdoor project, or perhaps there’s a storm in the forecast. Never fear — you can celebrate Earth Day indoors while sipping a nice, hot cup of tea and reading a book. You might pick up a classic that celebrates the outdoors, such as Walden by Henry David Thoreau or A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Or you could read the book often credited with sparking the environmental movement, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. I also recommend Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams. If these don’t strike your fancy, find more ideas here, or ask for recommendations from your local bookseller or librarian.
9. Make a donation.
Giving to a cause you passionately care about can be empowering. And April tends to be a fiscal low point for most charities. (Many get a third or more of their donations in December.) What issue has been on your mind lately? Check online to see what organizations are working on that challenge and see which one resonates most with you. Feel free to donate here to Earth Day Columbus!
If you’d feel better knowing how they administer the funds they receive, check out the nonprofit’s ratings by looking it up at Charity Watch, Charity Navigator or BBB Wise Giving Alliance. These three watchdog organizations are all recommended by Consumer Reports. Once you feel confident about how the charity you’ve selected spends its money, give as generously as you can. And remember, your employer may have a giving program that will match your donation. The one offered by my husband’s company makes the process easy. It really is satisfying knowing we’ve doubled our impact just by filling out a simple form online. That’s what I call a high return on investment.
When your birthday or the winter holidays roll around, you might consider asking for a donation to be made in your name. By now, my friends and relatives know I much prefer donations to more stuff.
