Every April 22, Earth Day provides teachers and students an opportunity to discuss the environment, as well as science related to our home planet. However, there are also many activities that children and adults can do on this day, as well as throughout the year, to bring about a healthier world for all.
Planting trees is not just for Arbor Day anymore! It can also make for an enjoyable afternoon, and seeing the tree for years on end can bring back memories, as well as provide clean air.
Parents can teach their children about the materials that can and cannot be recycled in their city or town. Families can also decorate recycling bins together, as a reminder that Earth Day will last well past the event.
Organizing a community cleanup with friends and neighbors can both be rewarding, and can result in a more enjoyable neighborhood.
Nearly every activity uses some energy, the production of which can damage the environment. For Earth Day, it can be enlightening to track how much energy is consumed during a typical day using a simple app. By calling companies who send out junk mail, it is (usually) possible to be removed from their list. This simple action can have a major impact on the environment.
"More than 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered in the United States each year, which comes out to 848 pieces per household. The production, distribution and disposal of all that junk mail creates over 51 million metric tons of greenhouse gases annually, the equivalent emissions of more than 9.3 million cars," Ecocycle reports on its website.
One of the easiest things people can do to help protect the environment is to sign an online petition, although not always effective, they are available for a number of causes. These could include species protection, industrial regulations and more.
In December 2015, world leaders met in Paris in an effort to reach an agreement to slow down climate change around the globe. Some nations, notably the United States, failed to agree to regulations limiting industrial waste.
The first Earth Day took place in 1970, and the annual event became increasingly popular in the last four-and-a-half decades. Passover begins on the evening of Earth Day this year, making this a perfect time to help the Earth as longer days once again begins to heat the northern hemisphere.
Photo: Beth Scupham | Flickr
