Holidays are about traditions, even if you have to make them up on your own. For Valentine’s Day, it’s hearts, for Halloween, it’s costumes and candy, for Fourth of July, it’s red, white, and blue (and fireworks!). These are widely-embraced themes, but what about holidays that haven’t been around for hundreds of years?
In 2022, Earth Day celebrates its 52nd anniversary, so it’s still relatively new on the scene. That means you have the perfect opportunity to create your own traditions to celebrate this great planet of ours.
Here are some things you can try in your own community and at home.
1. Beautify your outdoor space
Gardening not only transforms your property, but it’s good for the environment. Adding a sapling to grow into a big tree, planting some new flowers, or even starting a small vegetable garden all fit perfectly into this year’s Earth Day theme — Investing in Our Planet.
Putting new flora and fauna in the world most definitely makes a long-term impact whether you’re planting seeds or encouraging seedlings to grow. A quick visit to your local nursery will help you decide what will thrive best in your backyard.
2. Volunteer in your community
Around Earth Day, there are always a lot of local organizations hosting events that align with this environmentally-friendly holiday. Just doing a general search should yield a bunch of options. Pick one and give it a try for Earth Day. Then, if you enjoy the experience, continue volunteering year-round.
Earth Day is a great time to find an environmental organization to share your time with, but shouldn’t be the only day you give a little of yourself to help the planet.
3. Think sustainably
Planting a garden gets you started, since eating food you grow yourself means less package waste from the grocery. Expand that sustainable thinking to other areas. Make sure you recycle what you can from home, and consider composting. Both efforts will reduce the amount of trash you throw out each week, which does make a difference.
You can also shop differently when you go to the store, looking for brands that use sustainable packaging to make your job of recycling and composting even easier.
4. Spend time in nature
Appreciating the natural world can inspire your next environmentally-conscious project, and taking some time in nature can actually give you some stress-free time to decompress. Starting with Earth Day, block off a small portion of the day to take a walk outside. Whether you walk through your own neighborhood or find a nearby park with a short trail, these few moments away from your day will make a difference.
As you’re walking, make sure the experience is about the world around you. Instead of letting yourself get distracted catching up on calls or listening to your favorite podcast, observe the world around you. This walk should be about being in nature, not just blowing through it to get a little exercise. Earth Day is as much about appreciating our current environment as it is adding to the beauty of the planet.
5. Support companies making an impact
Another great way to celebrate Earth Day is by doing a little research. Check out your favorite companies, and ones you use regularly, to see how they’re giving back to the environment. If they don’t have a sustainability program in place, ask them why, or maybe start using a competitor that does. It’s another way you can continue your celebration of Earth Day.
You can look into businesses in every facet of your life, including where you fill up your car. At Twice Daily, the Thrive program makes it possible for you to reduce your car’s emissions each time you visit a Twice Daily station.
Through carbon offsetting programs, Thrive reduces tailpipe emissions by up to 30 percent. All you have to do is be selective about where you pump your gas. It’s an easy way to do an everyday activity and have a positive impact on the environment.
Time to celebrate
With so many ways to celebrate Earth Day, how will you spend it this year? With the theme of Investing in Our Planet, April 22 will most likely be full of exciting and impactful activities around the country.
To learn more about Earth Day visit the EPA’s website or the official Earth Day event site.