Sustain-a-ville

Happy earth month, y’all! While we all should be doing what we can to treat the earth better every day and month of the year, it doesn’t hurt to have Earth Day as a friendly reminder to refocus on our efforts – like New Year’s Day but for sustainability 🙂

Whether you are an all-in zero-waster already or just stumbled across this post, the activities here are things pretty much anyone can enjoy. I hope this earth day (and every day) you take the time to connect with our planet, enjoy the beauty it has to offer us, and consider what we can offer in return.

1. Go for a bike ride

This serves two benefits – bikes are an energy efficient way to get around because they don’t use any gasoline or other fossil fuels and they give us the opportunity to get out into nature.

2. Take a picnic to the park

Rather than picking up a to go lunch in a disposable takeout container, bring your own picnic! This saves on the single-use plastic packaging and allows us to enjoy a meal surrounded by beauty. Even better if you can make this into a group earth day activity and enjoy a plastic-free lunch with some friends.

3. Plant some native flowers

Planting flowers can be immensely beneficial for your local wildlife species. Be sure you are planting only flowers native to your region, though. Any non-native plants can be invasive and cause more harm than good to the wildlife population. Native species basically “grew up” with the native wildlife populations as they evolved and therefore provide much more benefit.

4. Try plastic-free for a day

If you have seen people who carry their trash for the month around in a tiny little mason jar in an effort to be zero waste, it can feel absolutely daunting to consider going zero waste. We don’t all have to go to that extreme, though! So just try it for one day. One day is all you need to start getting your creative juices flowing and keep at least some of those habits going forward.

5. Stand barefoot in the grass

Walking or standing barefoot in the grass is known to have a variety of different benefits including improved sleep and stress relief. I do think there is something incredible that happens in our bodies when we connect with nature so, even if it’s just for a few minutes, plant your feet in the earth.

6. Go on a pollinator scavenger hunt

See how many different pollinators you can find in one day! Pollinators can be all different types of species including bees, butterflies, and birds. Many plants wouldn’t survive without the help of pollinators so while you’re on your scavenger hunt be sure to thank the pollinators for all their hard work.

7. Plant a tree

Whether this is planting a new tree in your own yard or taking part in a community service project, the earth needs more trees! Deforestation and industrialization are depleting our trees at a rate much faster that we can regrow them. But planting a tree (or two or three!) this earth day can help offset the damage already done.

8. Start a compost bin

Compost bins can seem impossible if you’ve never had one before. What better excuse to finally get one started than on earth day? Whether you’re going for a store-bought bin or just a pile in your yard, either option works! Check out my Composting 101 post for more info on how to get started.

9. Go for a hike

The act of being out in nature makes it easier to remember why we’re trying to protect this planet. And especially on a hike, we get to experience so much more of nature than we typically would day to day. It’s a great reminder of all the different species out there counting on us to do the right thing.

10. Write to your local politicians

If trying one of these other ideas feels fruitless and hopeless to you, you’re not alone! It’s easy to lose sight of why each individual’s actions matter when massive corporations don’t seem to care or make any strides to change their ways. If you feel this way, write to your local politicians urging change – they might not listen to one person but they can’t ignore all of us!

11. Take public transportation

It seems like a lot of people don’t take public transportation more because of anxiety than because it’s not available or convenient. It can be stressful to try to navigate the system and figure out which bus or train gets you where you want to go. So try taking the time this earth day to learn about it and try it out – once you figure it out, you’ll be a natural!

12. Eat plant based

If you can’t fathom cutting meat out of your diet entirely, try it just for this one day. And once you realize how easy it is to do you can start doing a meat-free day once a week. Even cutting back a small amount will make a huge difference.

13. Read a book

I mean, really any book will do. The act of reading is typically grounding and recenters us. Even better if you’re reading a book about zero waste and sustainability! Some of my favorite eco-friendly books are:

“The Humane Gardener” by Nancy Lawson

“Nature’s Best Hope” by Doug Tallamy

“How to Give Up Plastic” by Will McCallum

“Simply Sustainable” by Lilly Cameron

14. Unplug

By this I mean not using your electronics for a day but also unplugging them while you’re not using them – even electronics devices that aren’t turned on still use energy when plugged into an outlet.

15. Delete old emails

Did you know your email has a carbon footprint? Crazy, right? But all that data has to be stored somewhere and that somewhere is probably a massive server in a giant warehouse somewhere. Go through your old emails (including the archives!) and delete anything you don’t need.

16. Go on a litter clean-up walk

Going for a walk is a great way to get out into nature and connect with the world around you. While you’re out, bring a bag and some gloves and collect any litter you see along the way. Water pollution is significantly impacted by litter because the waste eventually finds its way to the water when it rains. This waste eventually breaks down into tiny microplastics, harming wildlife and humans alike.

17. Clean out your closet

Doing a closet reset might not seem like a great earth day activity but I think it can help us put into perspective how much stuff we really need. Go into your closet and pull out any items you haven’t worn in 6+ months, any duplicate items, and all the stuff that just doesn’t fit right. Now make a trip to your local thrift store and donate! But wait, this is not an excuse to now go out and buy more things to fill up the space that was just vacated. You were doing just fine with the wardrobe you had before and this is a great way to adjust to the idea of needing less.

However you choose to spend this earth day, remember that it is the collection of each individuals’ actions that makes a difference. We are all doing our part by being a part of solution, even if our personal efforts seem minimal.