Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Hold a “Green” Movie Watch Party
Grab your favorite treat and snuggle up on the sofa to watch a movie that reminds you just how amazing the earth is. This film can be anything from a documentary like the David Attenborough's "Our Planet" series or Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” to a family-friendly movie like “WALL-E” or “Free Willy.” Make it a Virtual Watch Party by coordinating with friends/family/colleagues to start watching at the same time and start a group thread or video to interact as you watch.
Save Energy at Home
Replace inefficient bulbs. Turn off lights in empty rooms (of course) but also ask yourself, “Do I really even need this light on?”. Much of our electricity and heat are powered by coal, oil and gas. Use less energy by lowering your heating and cooling, switching to LED light bulbs and energy-efficient electric appliances, washing your laundry with cold water, or hanging things to dry instead of using a dryer. Improving your home’s energy efficiency, through better insulation for instance, or replacing your oil or gas furnace with an electric heat pump can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 900 kilograms of CO2e per year.
Recognize a Climate Action Champion in Your Community
Know someone who champions climate action, promotes sustainability, or advocates for our planet? Award them with a certificate in recognition of their hard work and positive impact on the community.
Spend the Day at a Nearby National Park
National parks are one of the most pristine parts of our planet. What better way to spend Earth Day than getting outside and enjoying all the beauty these parks have to offer. Spending the day outdoors will remind you why we celebrate Earth Day and why it is so important to advocate for climate action.
Cook a Meal using Local Organic Food
Buying local organic food minimizes the use of pesticides and preservatives, two things that have extremely negative effects on the environment. Additionally, by shopping local, you are supporting the economy around you and helping out your neighbors.
Walk, Bike, or Take Public Transport
The world’s roadways are clogged with vehicles, most of them burning diesel or gasoline. Walking or riding a bike instead of driving will reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- and help your health and fitness. For longer distances, consider taking a train or bus. And carpool whenever possible. Living car-free can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year compared to a lifestyle using a car.
Clean-up a Local Park
There are so many parks and outdoor areas around us that could benefit from some good cleaning. Caring for these areas not only helps the environment, but also all inhabitants who consider the outdoors to be their home. You can still practice social distancing in the outdoors! Be sure to be safe by working with a buddy and using proper sanitation gloves.
Slower Shipping for Shopping
Online shopping? If you’re not really in a rush, don’t select 1-day shipping. Delivery trucks have to make more trips when consumers select expedited shipping. Make your money count. Everything we spend money on affects the planet. You have the power to choose which goods and services you support. To reduce your environmental impact, choose products from companies who use resources responsibly and are committed to cutting their gas emissions and waste.
Throw Away Less Food
When you throw food away, you're also wasting the resources and energy that were used to grow, produce, package, and transport it. And when food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. So use what you buy and compost any leftovers. Cutting your food waste can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 300 kilograms of CO2e per year.
Change Your Home's Source of Energy
Ask your utility company if your home energy comes from oil, coal or gas. If possible, see if you can switch to renewable sources such as wind or solar. Or install solar panels on your roof to generate energy for your home. Switching your home from oil, gas or coal-powered energy to renewable sources of energy, such as wind or solar, can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of CO2e per year.
Speak Up
Speak up and get others to join in taking action. It's one of the quickest and most effective ways to make a difference. Talk to your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family. Let business owners know you support bold changes. Appeal to local and world leaders to act now. Climate action is a task for all of us. And it concerns all of us. No one can do it all alone – but we can do it together.
The term ”carbon footprint” used hereabove refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a person’s activities.
Emissions are measured in carbon dioxide equivalents, CO2e, which takes into account not only carbon dioxide but also other greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, by converting them to carbon dioxide equivalents with the same global warming potential.
For more detailed information on low-carbon lifestyles, see the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2020.