When it comes to celebrating Earth Day on April 22, there is no shortage of ways environmentally conscious people choose to honor this day. When you’re raising young stewards of the planet, it’s never too early to start Earth Day traditions that you and your family can revisit year after year.
It’s important to consider the ages of your children, as well as their interests, skills, and attention levels, to ensure that the tradition you select is one that will hold your entire family’s interest well into the future.
Here are four unique Earth Day traditions you can start this year as a family.
Think Outside the Tree
Many people choose to plant a tree to honor Earth Day, and this is an honorable and beneficial tradition. But what about taking this idea to a new level by starting a garden on Earth Day that your family can tend to year-round.
In addition to planting native plants that grow well in your region, customize your garden by including each family member’s favorites. Let everyone pick something new to add to the garden every year on Earth Day.
Start a Neighborhood or School Recycling Program
Spearhead a block-wide or even school-wide recycling initiative by enlisting neighbors to collect cans, glass, or plastic water bottles. Another option if your kids’ school doesn’t recycle: Ask school administrators if you can place recycling bins in the classrooms and cafeteria.
Schedule a day — weekly or monthly, depending on the size of your neighborhood or school — when your family will collect the chosen recyclables and take them to a nearby recycling center. If you get cash for the recycling, donate the funds to the school’s PTA. If it’s a neighborhood collection, donate the funds to a worthy eco-conscious cause.
Make a Green Pact — as a Family
Bond through your earth-friendly efforts by making a concerted effort to “go green” as a family this Earth Day. Gather together and decide which go-green tasks most interest each member of the family. For example, encourage the fashion-savvy members of your family to repurpose older clothing into new styles using current trends (and a sewing machine!) as inspiration. Or, if some in the family are constant over-users of paper products and other disposables, encourage them to cut back on their habit by switching to reusable and/or cloth products.
The whole family can also help with a zero-waste audit to determine all the various ways you can reduce your waste! Encouraging one another and keeping each other accountable is a fun way to go green as a family. Each Earth Day, review the progress you have made and start a new green pact for the next year!
Make an Earth-Friendly Dinner
Little kids may not fully understand the significance of Earth Day, but they can certainly be part of a simple family tradition this April 22 — a special meal. Bring the family together for a dinner honoring Earth Day. The ingredients of this meal should be conscious of the environment in any way possible. For example, make a meatless meal or use ingredients grown locally.
And after the meal, don’t scrape the leftovers into the trash or even the compost heap, turn them into a second creative meal for the following night. This Earth Day meal can start a new tradition to make every meal just a little bit more earth-friendly.
Learning how to be green not just on Earth Day but every day is a wonderful way to bond with your family while making a beneficial impact on our planet day after day.
Feature image by congerdesign from Pixabay. This story was originally posted on April 9, 2015. It was updated April 2021.