Ideas for Celebrating Earth Day!
Need ideas for celebrating Earth Day?
We have 51 ways to celebrate at home and school.
Let us know how you celebrate by tagging us at #GRCEARTHDAY
Multimedia Resources
1. Join NASA in celebrating #EarthDayAtHome. Find specially-created, interactive and live content to celebrate Earth Day. Explore videos, interactive games, apps, and downloadable items. Visit NASA’s Earth Day at Home for ways to celebrate Earth Day and learn more about our planet.
2. Visit earthday.org for virtual learning opportunities.
3. Explore the 1,900+ specially curated Earth Day resources for teachers and parents available from Smithsonian Institute’s Affiliation. This remarkable collection contains items ranging from vintage Earth Day posters to STEM resources.
4. Incorporate Earth Day into virtual learning by using digital education resources from Earth Day.org.
5. Explore The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks in an incredible, immersive virtual-learning opportunity from Google Arts and Culture.
6. Test your knowledge by taking an Earth Day quiz.
Nature/Outdoor Ideas
7. Take a nature walk and try one of 12 nature walk activities from Project Learning Tree.
8. Plants seeds to attract pollinators.
9. Make seed balls from recycled paper with simple instructions from Buggy and Buddy.
10. Plant native plants to support diversity and attract native wildlife. Learn more about native plants in Georgia at Georgia Native Plant Society’s website.
11. Plant a garden with your kids. Gardening teaches kids healthy eating habits and increases the likelihood of kids trying new fruits and vegetables.
Sustainable and Eco-friendly Purchasing
12. Make one small change to reduce your footprint (e.g., buy in bulk or buy recycled-content items like paper towels).
13. Buy reusable face mask made in the U.S.
14. Celebrate a new baby by sending environmentally-friendly items from companies like Hanna Andersson or Burt’s Bees Baby.
15. Purchase clothing from sustainably-oriented companies.
16. Celebrate an upcoming special occasion by donating to a local charity or a purchase a gift (e.g., a milking goat) from Heifer International to help a family in need.
Simple Actions at Home/Around the Home
17. Leave a thank you note for your recycling and sanitation crew for doing their part to help protect the environment.
18. Check out Good Housekeeping’s Tiny Lifestyle Changes for easy actions to take on Earth Day.
19. Donate Lego bricks to inspire a new generation of builders by printing a free shipping label through Amazon’s Givebackbox replay progam.
20. Clean out your closet, extend the life of your unwanted clothes, and get a Gap credit when using the Gap X thredUP Clean Out Kit.
21. Eliminate the use of pesticides in your home and garden.
22. Learn what items are recyclable (and not recyclable) at your curb.
23. Reuse your glass jars by trying one of Forge Recycling’s 25 creative ideas.
24. Buy items made from recycled materials (e.g., carpet, paper, and glass)
25. Donate gently used household items like shoes and clothes to charity through Amazon GiveBackBox program, which includes a free shipping label.
26. Drop off used books at one of the many Better World Book locations.
27. Reduce waste by giving gifts in reusable bags instead of wrapping paper.
28. Set your printer to double-sided and draft printing.
29. Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
30. Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
31. Recycle your cardboard boxes from your online shopping.
32. Reduce use of disposable items like plastic forks.
33. Stop unwanted junk mail by registering at dmachoice.org.
34. Learn where to recycle hard to recycle items like batteries, electronics, and paint. Check with your local solid waste or public works department or Keep America Beautiful affiliate for information on your nearest recycler. (Some facilities may be closed or have reduced hours due to COVID-19.)
35. Try tips from Gardening Know How for using coffee grounds in your garden to boost plants or add to your compost pile.
36. Read an environmental-themed book like Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax or Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise by Georgia’s own Ray Anderson or one of the 800+ books listed on Goodreads’ Best Environmental Books.
Ways to Reduce Food Waste and Purchase Sustainably Grown Food 
37. Buy organic produce when possible, especially when purchasing the items on Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen.
38. Get a second culinary life out of your food scraps before composting by following the 15 Creative Uses for Food Scraps compiled by the Zero Waste Chef.
39. Support local farmers by finding where to purchase farm-fresh and organic food using Georgia Organics’ The Good Food Guide, an online searchable resource.
40. Learn U.S. EPA’s storage and prep tips to reduce food waste at home, like storing apples and bananas separately to extend life.
41. Learn more about food waste in America at furtherwithfood.org and how to make a difference.
42. Plant an extra row in your garden to donate to a food pantry.
Composting Tips
43. Compost your food scraps and coffee grounds.
44. Learn how to safely compost from experts at the U.S. Composting Council.
45. Watch Compost with Peppa Pig! and Peg and Cat Curious About Compost with your preschooler.
46. Incorporate compost into your soil to reduce erosion and increase water infiltration.
47. Make plans to participate in International Compost Awareness Compost Week in May and share through social media how you participate at home by using #ICAW.
48. Watch a video from Glad to learn how to Make a Compost Bin for your home.
49. Learn tips for successful backyard composting from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment.
50. Download a composting coloring book from the Georgia Recycling Coalition.
51. HAPPY EARTH DAY! Have fun completing Crayons and Cravings’ Earth Day-Themed Word Search or WordMint’s Compost Bin Word Find (downloadable PDF with answer key)
Are you looking for more ways to improve and beautify your community this Earth Day? We invite you to #reconsiderlitter and #RecycleRightGA! We’ve partnered with our friends at the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation to bring you 22 activities to enjoy on the 22nd. Check out these ideas and learn more about our two campaigns by visiting the KGBF blog.
