Every day is Earth Day! If you didn't know, Earth Day was this weekend.
I personally spent my Earth Day relaxing because this month has been CRAZY, but it's been crazy in the most wonderful way.
I was featured in Refinery 29, Real Simple, Global News, How Stuff Works, Accuweather, many others, and I got to host Well and Good's first Earth Month event in Los Angeles.
It was a clean-up and it was amazing! A full post on the event to come soon.
what is earth day?
The first Earth Day was celebrated 48 years ago in 1970. Millions of people organized to protest the negative impacts of industrial development.The pollution and smog was negatively impacting the health of citizens and the development of children.
Biodiversity was declining as a result of pesticide use and the heavy pollution.
The movement to preserve the environment was gaining a lot of traction. In the same year, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed to protect the air and water.
It's super important to protect our natural resources because we need them to live.
We need clean air to breathe, and we need clean water to drink.
Make no mistake, when we pollute the world - we're polluting ourselves.
earth day 2018:
Earth day 2018 was all about plastic pollution! I have watched the movement to end plastic pollution just explode. It's so amazing.
I feel very encouraged that we're going to see a massive shift in the industry and our attitudes towards plastic.
celebrating earth day:
Earth Day is one of those days that everyone takes a little bit of time to fluff up their eco ego. They might buy a sustainable product or actually remember to bring their reusable bags to the grocery store.
I would really like to encourage you to take Earth Day beyond just this weekend and into the rest of the year. To help you with that I have come up with 50 ways to fluff that eco ego 24/7.
50 ways to celebrate earth day everyday:
- Organize a clean-up for your community
- Pick up litter when you're out walking
- Don't throw out your food scraps, eat them!
- Compost in your apartment or compost in your backyard
- Commit to the big four
- Buy less
- Live local
- Use real-stuff - real plates, real forks, real knives
- Get involved in local government
- Find a local community
- Organize a talk at your local library to teach others
- Set up a table at the farmers market to educate others
- Host a DIY party with your friends and spend the evening making toothpowder or non-greasy lotion
- Buy from the farmers market and chat with the farmers about their sustainable practices
- Eat seasonally
- Plant trees
- Start a garden, grow food from your scraps
- Get involved in your local Citizens Climate Lobby, Sierra Club, or another local organization
- Shop second hand first - here are some tips to find quality clothing
- Reapir, repair, repair
- Redistribute your resources and encourage the sharing community.
- Try meatless Monday, weekday veg or vegan. Just start experimenting with some delicious plant based meals. Start with one meal and then add another and another.
- If it's less than 2 miles walk or bike
- Avoid wasting food
- Start a carpool sheet at work to reduce emissions
- Make sure you're recycling correctly
- Get involved with a community garden
- Grab public transportation
- Make a meal plan to avoid food waste
- Swap packaged processed snacks for fresh fruit or package free options
- Make your own cleaners
- Line dry your clothes
- Perform a trash-audit
- Sell-by and use-by don't mean a lot. Don't toss the food on first glance it's always safe to do a taste or smell test. Food can spoil before or after the dates.
- Get outside and plug into nature. Nature is rejuvenating.
- Get your office involved
- Buy food without packaging
- But, don't sweat it if you cant. Grab my tips for shopping without access to bulk bins
- Green your make-up routine
- And, your skin-care routine
- Opt for loose-leaf tea
- Use refillable pods, pour over, or a french press
- Phase disposable products out for reusable products
- Grab tree-free or recycled TP opt for a bidet too
- Pull weeds, mulch, and help your local community park
- Start a recycling or composting program at work or school
- Host a documentary showing in your community
- Send a letter to businesses asking that they implement more eco-friendly practices. Ask them to implement a straw on request only policy. Ask them to remove plastic from their packaging.
- Get your green thumb on - use house plants to filter the air and open the windows
- Vote with your dollars, when buying something new support companies that give back and focus on sustainability
It's really important that we take the hype surrounding these eco holidays to hook people and encourage everyone to do a little more all year round.
I would love to hear your ideas on how we can continue to celebrate. What would you add to the list?
