It’s Earth Month, so it’s a great time to do something meaningful for the planet. Here are six activities to help inspire you this month.
Volunteer
You can join a trash cleanup event near you, organize your own, or just grab some plastic bags and a trash grabber to pick up litter wherever you are.
Picking up litter is great, but it isn’t the only way you can help your community. You can get familiar with the noxious plants in your area and commit to pulling them when you see them, `teach a useful skill to people at a local workshop, help out at a local repair clinic, organize donations at a nonprofit in your area, etc. Think about your skills and share them with the people around you.
Grow Something
Plant something. It could be trees in your community, a small herb garden on your windowsill, a pollinator garden at a local park (with permission, of course), or a vegetable garden in your yard/community garden. If you end up growing plenty of food, consider donating some to fight hunger in your community.
Eat Fewer Animal Products
Commit to eating at least 1 vegetarian or vegan meal each week. Plant based foods require less land and water than animal foods, and they’re typically better for your body. Although it can make sense for people to eat more plant based meals, I know it can be difficult to incorporate the meals into your diet if you don’t have recipes or inspiration. Check out this post of my favorite plant-based recipe creators to get inspired.
Review Your Providers
Look into switching your provider. This could be your energy provider, your banking provider, your cleaning supplies provider, your vegetable provider, etc. Look at what you’re using and consuming, and see if there is a better option. Could you switch your energy to be partially or completely powered by renewables? Could you get some of your vegetables or even meats from a local farmer? Could you get home cleaning products that are made with natural ingredients rather than harsh chemicals? Only you know what options you have that can reasonably be improved, so think about it and consider making a change.
Drive less
This can look a lot of different ways depending on where you are located and your physical ability and energy level. It could be walking to the grocery store or biking to the library. It could be getting familiar with bus routes or carpooling to work with a neighbor. It could be organizing a walking pool to take neighborhood kids to school or keeping weekend activities closer to home. It could also be planning your activities each week to make sure you drive as efficiently as possible. Do what works for you.
Use Your Voice
Write to corporations to tell them you want to see them make a change. Suggest that they incorporate more clean energy, start using recycled materials in their packaging content, commit to using fair trade ingredients or natural materials, etc.
Alongside that, tell companies when you think they’re doing something right. Tell small businesses that you appreciate seeing their waste reduction efforts. Tell them to keep up the good work or make a suggestion if you have one.
And of course vote. Vote with your dollar when you purchase from sustainable companies, vote with no dollars for companies you don’t want to support, and vote in your national and local elections for environmental and social policies you believe in.
Stay tuned next week for 6 more activities to do this Earth Month. Remember, every positive action you work towards is a good thing. All of your little actions matter, and they add up to meaningful change.
Happy Earth Month, my friends.