Inspired by our recent Earth Day radio show, I did a fun Care2 post about 25 ways to celebrate Earth Day without buying anything. Here’s a little bit of that rant:
Make it a non-Consumer Earth Day
AND become a smart, eco-friendly consumer all year round
There are millions of new wonderful ‘green living’ gadgets, trinkets, and practical every-day items manufactured with a lighter carbon footprint that may leave less of a toxic trail in the landfills and oceans. But we still are a culture that consumes much more than we really need. Our landfills and oceans are quickly becoming overwhelmed with garbage — much of which will remain there for hundreds if not thousands of years (thank you plastic!).
I’ve been really trying to be less of a consumer. My husband and I are living with less new stuff, recycling, up cycling, fixing, sharing, swapping and just buying less one-time-use items. Partly because it just feels good — simplifying for us AND the environment, but I have to be honest, it also saves a TON of money!
I proceeded to state a lot of scary facts about all the WASTE we produce and offer some ideas on how to be a more conscious, earth-friendly consumer. Read the original Care2 post with all the stats . . .
I listed 25 ways to celebrate earth day without buying anything, knowing there were thousands, and I was so impressed with some of the suggestions, I thought I would incorporate them into this updated post and give my Care2 peeps a little credit. Really, these are things we should find ways to incorporate into our every-day lives, so . . .
50 Free or Cheap Ways to Incorporate Earth Day Every Day
or at Least on a Regular Basis!
The original 25 . . .
1. Unplug – minimize electronic activity
2. Go outside
3. Observe nature
4. Meditate in nature
5. Walk barefoot in some grass
6. Eat vegan or vegetarian (local, organic, non-GMO when possible)
7. Do a fun DIY upcycling craft project
8. Visit your local library – be amazed
9. Read a real book
10. Play with your kids or grand kids or any kids
11. Talk to kids about nature, the environment, and earth day
12. Listen to your favorite music
13. Dance to your favorite music
14. Make your own music
15. Make music with others
16. Organize a potluck dinner
17. Plant something – anything, a small pot of herbs maybe
18. Walk somewhere instead of driving
19. Bike somewhere instead of driving
20. Drink more water, less coffee or soda
21. Drink fair trade tea
22. Meet with friends
23. Talk to friends about what earth day means to you
24. Turn off lights in the evening – sit by candle light
25. Play a board game or cards with friends or family
more from our Facebook fans and Care2 community peeps . . .
26. Pick up some trash (Dave C.)
27. Plant a tree (Cynthia B.)
28. Encourage each other to get outside (Anne F.)
29. Do something charitable and help someone out (Robert O.)
30. Compost your kitchen waste (Jacquelene S.)
31. Volunteer at an animal shelter (Valentina R.)
32. Unplug/unwind/relax, too! (Christine S.)
33. Go to an Earth Day Fair (Michael H.)
34. Go to Starbucks with travel mug and get free coffee! (Edvanir L.)
35. Visit Care2, get points and plant a tree! (Mari S.)
36. Go for a walk with a loved one (Lynn D.)
37. Befriend our environment (Fi T.)
38. Offset your carbon output at Carbonfund, TerraPass, etc. (Dave C.)
39. Toss the gas mower, get a push mower! (Jacquelene S.)
40. Avoid fluoride (Andrew H.)
41. Save breadcrumbs for the birds (Nermine G.)
42. Creative painting with your favorite music (Adena Z.)
43. Pledge to buy only organic non GMO foods (Sherry C.)
44. Visit local SPCA or animal shelter and take a dog for a walk, or play with the cats (Jeanne M.)
45. Bardzo dobre pomysły, na pewno skorzystam (Malgorzata Z.)
46. Pick up some rubbish that is not yours! (Carol Ann O.)
47. Give up paraffin candles (Lydia W.)
48. use candles in the evening instead of turning on lights (Mary D.)
49. Wear eco-textile shoes! (Emelie H.)
50. Comment to help Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline (Peter H.)
Big gratitude to all those who chimed in. So glad to see so many souls joining in the fun on behalf of momma earth!
We still want more though . . . c’mon be part of the online video madness with us!
BE PART OF THE GREEN DIVAS (AND DUDES) EARTH DAY EVERY DAY VIDEO!
Eco Ed always has great ideas, but he spontaneously erupted with this one on the air and we LOVE it! We really want to know what YOU are doing this Earth Day, so why not send us a 10-second video either telling us or showing us what you are doing to celebrate mama earth this Earth Day and how you will do it throughout the year. We will compile a fun video and you will be a green diva or green dude star!
eat. blog. be merry!
image of woman reading in flowers: Shutterstock
