4 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day from Home

Every year on Earth Day, most of the planet takes a moment to reflect on our shared ecosystem and what we can do to improve it.

It’s also known for being a day of action. There are plenty of ways people get involved, from attending clean-up events to hosting tree-planting parties.

You might not have thought about it, but even if you can’t attend an Earth Day event, you can still help make a meaningful impact on our planet right from your home. We’ve got four ways you can help positively impact our environment without leaving your house.

Reduce Landfill Waste with a Composting Bin

Every day, many of us throw away organic waste, primarily in the form of food items, that could be composted instead. When this organic waste sits in landfills, it contributes to the generation of methane, a greenhouse gas.

By composting food waste, yard trimmings, wood chips, and similar organic waste, you can directly help in reducing methane gas production from landfills. It also means your trash can won’t be as heavy when you take it to the curb.

Plant a Pollinator Garden

Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, play an important role in our ecosystem and food supply. They help carry the male part of flowers to the female part, which fertilizes the plant and enables it to produce its fruit and seeds. Without these pollinators, there can be huge disruptions to our global food supply.

Because of habitat destruction, a variety of pollinator species are at risk or endangered. You can help restore the balance by planting or adding to your existing pollinator-friendly garden.

Here are three ways to make sure your garden is welcoming to pollinators:

• Plant native plants that will support pollinators in your location.
• Make your garden insect friendly.
• Reduce or eliminate chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Use Work from Home Efficiencies to Reduce Paper and Carbon Emissions

Many workers have enjoyed the shift to working from home or a hybrid workplace approach. You might not have considered how staying at home, even for a couple days a week, can help the Earth, though.

For starters, it helps to reduce carbon emissions, both from your vehicle and from idling caused by traffic. It also typically reduces paper waste since most of your work is being done electronically.

If you’re in the market for new lighting or other home office appliances, you can purchase energy-efficient ones to ensure you’re keeping your electricity usage to a minimum, too.

Re-Use Plastic Bags and Containers

Our final piece of advice for how to help out right from home this Earth Day is a tried-and-true method. However, it’s sometimes easy to discount how the most simple advice can be the most impactful.

Reusing paper and plastic shopping bags and to-go food containers can have a huge, positive impact on the environment. While it’s true that it would be most ideal to not have these items intended for single-use created in the first place, you can reduce further waste by reusing what you already have.

Every time that you reuse a plastic grocery store bag or a to-go box from your favorite take-out restaurant, you’re preventing another new one from entering the landfill on your account. So don’t underestimate your ability to make a positive impact.

This list is just the beginning of how you can make a positive impact on the environment without even leaving your house. We hope you can put these tips to good use and that they inspire you to find even more ways to positively contribute to our shared ecosystem year-round.