Celebrating Earth Day From Your Living Room
Sarah Cable, ACCP
During this global pandemic, many people have found solace in the outdoors. Whether that means taking up virtual forest bathing, kicking a soccer ball to a roommate six feet away, or changing your Zoom background to a beach, we are all more aware of how we interact with the green spaces around us.
Earth Day, coming up on April 22nd, is usually a day to get outside, hike with friends, volunteer at a park cleanup, or plant a garden. While those may not be possible this year, ACCP has come up with 10 ways to bring the Earth into your home.
- Donate to your favorite environmental conservation organization. During this unique time, nonprofits are relying on public donations to continue their great work.
- Listen to scientists, advocates, and celebrities at Earth Day Live, a special three-day virtual event that brings environmental education and collaboration to you. Alternatively, pick an environmental movie to watch. We love Planet Earth, Wall-E, March of the Penguins, and The Lorax.
- Get the kids involved. Have a company-, neighborhood-, or school-wide art contest where kids of all ages can draw or create their favorite outdoor place, what their garden would look like, their favorite animal, or their solution/invention to mitigate an aspect of the climate crisis.
- Get outside (with your family/roommates) and backyard camp. Pitch the tent, sleep under the stars, or play yard games. Make s’mores in the microwave and bring them out to picnic.
- Engage in citizen science and put your research skills to use! Check out apps like Earth Challenge and iNaturalist to crowdsource scientific research.
- Get the kids involved part 2. National Geographic has great resources for kid- (and house!) friendly science experiments and education.
- Start an indoor veggie garden from food scraps. You’ll be able to grow everything from garlic to lettuce for future meals.
- Make a sustainability pledge for your coworkers, family, or yourself. Pledge to eat less red meat, use reusable water bottles, start composting, and more!
- Plant trees (and shop) from your couch with TenTree. This environmentalist-led clothing company plants 10 trees for every item bought. So far, they’ve planted more than 42 million trees.
- Take a socially-distanced walk. In most areas, we are lucky to still be able to get outside. Ignoring the phone, getting fresh air, and taking a mental and physical break from quarantine will leave you refreshed and grateful to live on this planet.
This year’s Earth Day may look unique, but we can still make a difference by supporting scientists, educating the next generation on the climate crisis, and contributing to environmental research. What’s your company’s plan to celebrate Earth Day in a virtual way?