Family Life Greener Living

15 Eco-Friendly Activities for Families on Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

 
Established in the US in 1970 and now celebrated across the globe, Earth Day reminds us why environmental conservation and stewardship are important, and encourages us to form a personal connection with nature. In honour of Earth Day, here are a few eco-friendly activities you can do today (or any day) to celebrate and cherish our planet.

1. Get outside! Take the family out for a nature walk, hike, or bike.

2. Plant a tree.

3. Plant some bee-friendly wildflowers to help feed your local bees and pollinators.

4. Write a letter or make a phone call to your government representative expressing your support for environmentally responsible policies.

5. Donate your time or money to an environmental non-profit.

6. Make an Earth Day craft with your kids. Here are 14 Earth-themed crafts to choose from.

7. Spend some time working in the garden. Avoid pesticides and herbicides that are a contributing factor in bee colony collapse. Pull out the weeds instead, or try non-toxic strategies for pest control like soapy water, salt, and diatomaceous earth.

8. Make an appointment to have your car serviced and tire pressure checked. A smoothly running vehicle uses less gas and reduces emissions.

9. Put up a bird house.

10. Participate in a community cleanup. For example, many cities and towns organize a shoreline or forest cleanup event around this time.

11. No cleanup in your area? No problem! Adopt a park or street near you and clean up some litter on your own. Bring sturdy gloves and a bag for collecting garbage.

12. Have a family picnic. (Make sure all your garbage leaves with you.)

13. Go bird watching. This traditional pastime is a great way to learn about local bird populations.

14. Enjoy a 100 mile meal. Can you prepare a meal using only food grown and raised within 100 miles of your home? Local food utilizes less resources for transport and has a smaller carbon footprint. Non-industrially grown crops also tend to be grown with less fertilizer and pesticides, the use of which contribute to soil and waterway pollution.

15. Go on a photography treasure hunt. Take pictures of all the spring flowers and trees in bloom in your neighbourhood and see what treasures you find.

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12 Comments

  • Loved reading these fun & inspiring ideas!! 🙂 ..can’t wait till my Lil one arrives this May to start sharing in the Earth Day activities with her! Make Earth Day everyday!

  • Some great ideas. I want to put up a birdhouse. We always have blue jays and robins in our yard

  • What a wonderful list of activities to do any day not just on Earth Day! I’ve been inspired to become more eco friendly at home starting with the kitchen. I’m going to make non paper towels first!

  • So many great ideas!! I love the idea of getting the pressures checked on your car!! Something I don’t do enough anyways! I love the idea of planting!! Id love to get some wildflowers growing this year for the bees!!

  • When you plant wildflowers, make sure that they are local plants, otherwise you can cause problems. We love birdwatching! We have a deck high off the ground, and the finches love to build a nest underneath it and sit on the railings to sing.

  • “4. Write a letter or make a phone call to your government representative expressing your support for environmentally responsible policies.”

    I never thought of doing that! Thank you for the tip!