5 Things You Can Do At Home To Celebrate Earth Month
April is mother nature’s time to be appreciated and supported. Most people know about Earth Day, April 22, but the entire month of April is dedicated to our beautiful home, as should be the rest of the year. During this month there is a lot of awareness and encouragement about what we can do to help the Earth and change our ways to live more sustainably.
Here are 6 (realistic) things you can do at home to celebrate Earth Month.
Photo: Rodger Shagam via Salon.com
Supporting local farms and farmers is so important to them and the community as a whole. Local farms are always selling food at farmer’s markets and some local grocery stores. When fruits, vegetables, and other foods are grown on a farm and harvested, they taste so much better than buying them at the grocery store. There are so many options as to what you can buy: eggs, fruit, vegetables, chicken, potatoes, and more.
Photo: Ben Keough via New York Times
Continuing with food, food waste is something that has been a big problem, especially in America. Food waste is unfortunately very common, but there is a lot that can be done about it at home. Saving leftovers and eating them for a few days after the food is cooked is one of the most popular ways to reduce food. You can also use different leftovers from multiple meals to create one big meal such as a stew, scramble, or smoothie. Composting is something that can seem like a chore to do but does not require as much work as you might think. Here is a link that explains how to set up an at-home compost bin.
Photo: Justin Sullivan via Bloomberg
Thrifting is something that become a staple for many people in the past few years. While this is also a fun activity, it is also great for our planet. Unfortunately, the fashion industry is one of the world's biggest waste producers, and fast fashion does not help. Fast fashion is when brands mass-produce clothing items at an extremely fast rate. Second-hand shopping or doing a clothing swap, swapping clothes with friends or family, is a great way to find some one-of-a-kind pieces, and also have a good time while shopping. Donating clothes is also very important because since there is already so much waste from the fashion industry, getting rid of your clothes in a sustainable way can do a lot more than you might think.
Photo: Soner Kilinc/Anadolu Agency via CNN
There’s no real celebration of Earth Month unless you appreciate and take in our planet’s beauty. Going on a hike and seeing the trees, flowers, and plants all around is one way to show gratitude for mother earth. If intense hikes or walks aren’t your things, you can try some outdoor yoga. Yoga is a comfortable and relaxing way to exercise and doing it while in nature can be soothing for yourself. Finally, stargazing at night is one of the most beautiful sights to see and there is nothing that can beat it. Stargazing, finding constellations, and watching the moon in all of the darkness are some of my favorite things to do.
Photo: Jacqueline Marque via Apartment Therapy
Spring has officially started with the first day being March 20 of this year. With the start of spring comes spring cleaning, going over just about everything you own, and deciding what needs to be donated, thrown away, kept, or passed down. While spring cleaning might take quite a bit of work to do, in the end, it is so refreshing to look back at your closets, cabinets, drawers, and anything else and see more room. This is also a great way to filter everything and make sure that what you own is something you will actually wear or use.
