This Earth Day, it’s more important than ever to celebrate our planet. The pandemic has reminded us all how we are connected and how fragile our ecosystems can be. Every April 22, over a billion people worldwide collectively celebrate Earth Day[1]. This holiday, dedicated to our environment, was created in 1970 to launch awareness for protecting our planet.

Earth Day is meant to generate global interest in creating a healthier and more sustainable environment. According to EarthDay.org, the movement is fighting for a clean environment as climate changes becomes more and more apparent[2].
 

5 Easy Earth Day Projects for Your Home

There are a lot of ways to celebrate the Earth Day movement, but as with anything, the most important changes start at home. Here are some of our favorite ways to make an impact on the environment:
 

1. Plant a tree
 

There are so many benefits to planting trees. Trees provide oxygen, improve air quality, help conserve water, provide shade, preserve soil, and support wildlife[3].

Choosing to plant a tree in your yard on Earth Day is committing to beautifying your community and creating a peaceful environment. Not sure where to start?  The Arbor Day Foundation makes it easy with its Tree Finder Wizard.  If you do plant a tree, be sure to post a picture and tag us on social media!

2. Make a compost pile

While composting can seem daunting at first, it is an easy and effective way to save landfill space. In fact, some residential areas are offering composting pick-up as part of their garbage service.

All you need is a composting bin to keep near your kitchen. You can line it with composting bags and put all your kitchen scraps that would otherwise be thrown out. These include things like: coffee grounds, egg shells, leftover food, meat, bones, dairy, grease, oil, and more[4].

Composting is a low-effort way to keep landfills free from food waste which can have a hugely detrimental effect on our environment. When food waste is put into landfills, it releases a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere which may contribute to global warming[5].

You can use the compost in your own soil and garden or find a place in your community that does compost bin pick-ups or drop offs.
 

3. Create a rain barrel to collect water
 

Creating a rain barrel is so popular that even Home Depot has a DIY page on how to conserve rainwater[6].

Having a rain barrel allows you to use that collected water on your own landscaping. It works by capturing water that is coming off your roof during rainstorms. Not only does this help you  water your garden using rainwater, but it can also reduce the amount of water that flows on to your property[7].
 

4.  Make a recycling center

Recycling can make a big difference in the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. If you have a designated area in your home to put materials that can be recycled, you are more likely to use that service.

Appropriate materials to recycle include clean bottles, cans, paper, and carboard[8].
 

5. Commit to more biking and walking

Choosing to go places by walking or biking will save gas and the atmosphere by putting less pollution into the air. There are enormous health benefits to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Over 4.6 million people die from outdoor air pollution worldwide every year[9], by lessening the pollution, it can save lives. Additionally, active travel leads to less depression, anxiety, stress, obesity, and chronic disease[10].

If biking and walking places isn’t possible in your community, get involved in your local government to find ways that will help everyone around you have access to a walking and cycling program. In Copenhagen, there are 675,000 bicycles and only 120,000 cars[11] and they have a goal of being carbon neutral as a city by 2025.

Earth Day doesn’t have to just be one day a year. All these ideas can bleed over into everyday life and help you make little changes that over time add up to huge ones that make a difference to our health and our planet.

[1] About us. (2021, March 11). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.earthday.org/about-us/

[2] The history of Earth Day. (2021, April 01). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.earthday.org/history/

[3] The importance of trees - learn value and benefit of trees. (2020, October 28). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.savatree.com/whytrees.html#:~:text=Ecological%20%26%20Environmental%20Value,produce%20the%20oxygen%20we%20breathe.

[4] Home. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://helpmecompost.com/how-to-make-compost-from-kitchen-waste-the-easy-way/

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[5] Kring, L., Davies, A., Hazlaili, Sidhu, A., Jill, Steve, . . . Furno, L. (2019, September 20). Kitchen composting 101: How to repurpose food scraps. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://foodal.com/knowledge/how-to/kitchen-composting-101/

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[6] DIY rain barrels. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/diy-rain-barrels/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901916c9a18

[7] Soak up the rain: Rain barrels. (2020, November 24). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-rain-barrels#:~:text=Related%20Topics%3A-,Soak%20Up%20the%20Rain%3A%20Rain%20Barrels,for%20use%20in%20your%20landscape.

[8] What is recycling & what to recycle: Waste management. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.wm.com/us/en/recycle-right/recycling-101

[9] C40 knowledge Community. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Why-shifting-to-green-and-healthy-transport-modes-delivers-vast-rewards-for-cities?language=en_US

[10] Vancampfort, D., Smith, L., Stubbs, B., Swinnen, N., Firth, J., Schuch, F., & Koyanagi, A. (2018, August 30). Associations between active travel and PHYSICAL multi-morbidity in Six low- and MIDDLE-INCOME countries among community-dwelling OLDER adults: A cross-sectional study. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6117036/

[11] Written by Sean Fleming, S. (n.d.). What makes Copenhagen the world's most bike-friendly city? Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/what-makes-copenhagen-the-worlds-most-bike-friendly-city/