As you all might have guessed, Earth Day is my favorite holiday (really everyday should be Earth Day). Each year I try to come up with new ideas to celebrate, so this year I made a whole list that way anyone can join in! If you plan on participating in activity number four, come find me (I'll be the one in the flower crown with the gigantic red hair)!
1. Get your hands dirty!
2. Volunteer!
Take some time to give back to your community. Consider spending part of your Saturday volunteering! Try Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, local shelters, food drives, the Botanical Garden, your local Parks and Recreation department, pick up trash, etc. for a unique and fulfilling opportunity.
3. Find or host an outdoor movie night!
Borrow a projector, bust out the lawn chairs and break out the popcorn. Consider watching a Disney Earth film (this year's is about pandas) or the documentary starring the lovely Leonardo DiCaprio in his quest to raise awareness about global warming and climate change, "Before the Flood."
4. Participate in the March for Science.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to stand up for our planet? Marches are happening all around the globe, and there’s a march today in Candler Park in Atlanta, Georgia! Please leave your pets at home and consider taking eco-friendly public transportation. Speakers include Dr. Goldbart and Dr. Weitz of Georgia Tech, Kim Cobb, and other fabulous guests. The peaceful protest starts at 12 PM and ends around 5 PM, so join me in raising awareness on global environmental issues! To find out more click here.
5. Head to the beach!
Pack up the car, throw on a swimsuit, make a few mix-tapes/check out a cool Spotify playlist (I'd recommend First Aid Kit, Junip, and the Georgia native group Indigo Girls) and take a picnic lunch! Don’t forget to bring a kite to fly on the dunes.
6. Spend the day in a National Park!
The National Parks Service is offering a free week of visits nationwide! In the words of the famous John Muir: “Keep close to nature’s heart and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
Take the opportunity to explore your backyard by finding your park where you can take a hike, rent a canoe, etc. Please consider donating to the National Parks Service, particularly now when their budget is on the administrative chopping block, and follow the rebels at the Alternative National Parks Service.
7. Recycle!
Take time to sort your trash, and keep some of those items out of the landfill! Check out your local waste management department for details.
8. Have a yard sale!
It's not called "spring cleaning" for nothing! Most communities host neighborhood yard sales, drawing more buyers so you can sell more stuff. Purge your clutter piling up in your garage or basement, and put it all on the curb. Make a little rainy day money, or donate your earnings to charity!
9. Watch the meteor shower tonight!
The Lyrids meteor shower starts in the early hours of April 21 and into the late hours of April 22. Spread out a comforter, lay on the roof of your car and enjoy the light show. Bring a telescope!
10. Throw an Earth Day party!
Spend the day outside with friends and family today! Your itinerary can include DIY crafts like flower crowns, dream catchers and henna tattoos, Earth Day themed teas and desserts (did anyone say dirt pudding?), face painting, an Earth Day themed scavenger hunt, building a crystal alter and scattering native wildflower seeds!
11. Go camping!
Spend the weekend in the great outdoors and really get back to nature. Celebrate Earth Day the way it was meant to be celebrated, sleeping under the stars. Don't want to spend the money on a site? Check out this list of free campsites, but always look into their reviews first!
12. Plant a tree!
Be sure to check your region before you pick out a tree. If you don't want to dig the hole, Ecosia powered by Bing helps plant millions of trees around the globe!
13. Visit a natural history museum.
An activity that's not just for kids! Fernbank Museum of Natural History is always a classic, but if you're up for the drive, there's a very cool paleontology museum in Milledgeville.
14. Keep an eye out for free events!
Earth Day attracts tons of free events ranging from festivals to classes all across the state! Perhaps while protesting big coal and oil companies, you can stop by Georgia Tech's annual Earth Day festival. If you are heading out to west Georgia, stop by the second annual West Georgia Jazz Festival where you can here some groovy free tunes. Pike Nursery is also having their annual Ladybug Weekend with a kid-friendly class on beneficial insects around 9, and you get a free packet of ladybugs with every purchase (be sure to get there early as they run out fast)!
15. Spend the day outside!
