10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
This image from Apollo 17 captures the south polar ice cap, and almost the entire coastline of Africa, along with the Arabian Peninsula. Photo courtesy NASA
Today marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. Whether you're a gardener or a film buff, here are a variety of fun suggestions to celebrate the day in your own special way.
1. Walk or ride your bike to work today.
2. Take part in an Earth Day event in your community. Across the country people will be celebrating all weekend long. Enter your zip code at to find events near your home.
3. Watch Earth Days, the inspiring story of the modern environmental movement. The film is; watch the trailer below.
4. Plant a tree. Planting trees in your yard can provide a home to various types of wildlife, as well as reduce heating and cooling costs, help clean air, and, of course, add a bit beauty. for tree-planting instructions and advice from the National Resources Conservation Service.
5. Don鈥檛 have a green thumb? Got $1? Today, for every dollar donated to the , the group will plant a tree where they鈥檙e most needed, such as Haiti, Brazil, and urban U.S. forests.
6. Bright idea: Switch out those incandescent light bulbs and put in energy efficient CFLs. If you鈥檝e already made the change and have burnt-out CFLs around the house, recycle them. The , which contain mercury.
7. Stop the flow of junk mail. The unwanted catalogs and other paper waste filling up your mailbox aren鈥檛 just annoying, they鈥檙e also a waste of natural resources (many catalogs are made from trees logged in Canada鈥檚 boreal forest, read about it in 鈥溾). Several companies offer services to help cut the junk, including , , and . Forest Ethics is pushing for a national Do Not Mail registry, similar to the Do Not Call registry. Lend your support at .
8. Take a quiz! Use the to measure your impact on the planet.
9. Embrace energy efficiency at home. The first step is performing an energy audit. The is a great resource, offering thorough instructions for a do-it-yourself assessment, and helpful information about hiring a professional.
10. Learn about , author of and one of the people credited for the modern environmental movement and an inspiration for Earth Day.
How will you celebrate Earth Day?