Talk About the Environment & Get Others Involved: Earth Day is a great time to talk about the environment with your friends, family, and kids. You can swap information about how to live a more environmentally friendly life and help inspire each other to do more to give back to Mother Earth. Earth Day is a fantastic time to have open and honest conversations about the environment and to build a community around green habits. 

Read a “Green Book”: There are a ton of books out there about the environment. From informational, to fun, and inspiring children’s books, find a book about the environment to read this Earth Day. You can pick a book on your own, or get your friends, family, and kids involved too. Then you can all discuss what you learned. It’s a fun activity that is also educational and inspiring. 

Calculate your Carbon Footprint: Knowing your carbon footprint is an excellent place to start when trying to understand your habits and how to adjust them to be more environmentally friendly. You can take inventory of your activities that are the biggest contributors to your carbon footprint and take steps to reduce them. Small changes can lead to a big reduction in your carbon footprint. 

Save Energy: You can make small changes in your home to save big on your energy bills. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, unplug small appliances that aren’t in use, weatherstrip your home, and switching out incandescent light bulbs for CFLs or LEDs are just a few changes that can help you save on your energy costs. Plus, reducing your energy consumption is good for the environment and your carbon footprint.  

Buy Local: Buying local not only benefits your local economy, but it also helps the environment. When you buy local, the carbon footprint of the products you are buying is reduced. Plus, if you are buying local produce or meat, it tends to be fresher and will last longer. Try to find ways to buy local more this year and help stimulate your local economy while helping Mother Earth. 

Recycle: This Earth Day, either try and find ways to up your recycling game or pledge to start recycling. Recycling is a great way to make sure more products do not just end up in a landfill and are given a second life . You can also use it as an opportunity to create a new recycling system in your home or at work. Additionally, get your friends and family involved to help hold each other accountable for your new recycling habits. 

Online Billing: Most companies offer online billing now. Instead of getting a bill in the mail you can have it emailed to you and pay it online. Moving to online billing is a fantastic way to reduce paper consumption and saves you money on stamps, since you won’t have to send a check in for payment. 

Reduce Plastic: Plastic is in many of the products we use and single use plastic is prevalent in our society. Try reducing plastic by using reusable containers to store your food, reusable water bottles, and travel mugs for your morning coffee. Also, remember to bring your reusable bags when shopping and try buying items in bulk. Also, look for products that are made of recycled plastic. Lastly, if you do use plastic products be sure to recycle them. 

Eat Less Meat & More Plants: Meat consumption is a big contributor to greenhouse gases. A great way to reduce your meat intake is to participate in Meatless Mondays. You do not have to be a vegetarian or vegan to help reduce meat consumption. Not eating meat one day a week can lead to big changes for the environment. 

Gardening: Gardening is a great way to get outside and grow your own vegetables, fruits, and herbs. You can also try plating plants that attract bees and butterflies to help their populations grow. Also, if you plant species that are native to your area, they require less water and maintenance to flourish. You can also plant some trees to help local insects and animals with their habitat. There are a lot of great ways that you can use a garden to nourish you, your family, and your local habitat. 

Pesticide Free: When tending to your garden and lawn this year, pledge to do it pesticide free. Not only is it better for the environment, but it is also safer for pets and children. There are many natural ways to keep unwanted bugs and critters out of your garden and lawn. Give them a try this year!

Go “Plogging”: Plogging started in Europe and is a great way to get a workout in and clean up your community at the same time. The purpose of plogging is to bring a bag with you on your jog and pick up trash along the way. It combines two great things into one! 

Enjoy the Outdoors: On Earth Day, be sure to get outside and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. Whether you go for a hike, get on the water, or go for a walk after work, try to find some time to enjoy the area that you live and all that it has to offer.