Looking to make a difference and take action on Earth Day? From attending local events to planting seeds to signing online petitions, here are seven ways you can take action right now to help save the planet in honor of Earth Day. Better yet, challenge yourself to complete one of these actions each month to keep Earth Day going all year round.
1. Find local and online ways to get involved with Plastic Pollution Coalition’s Events Calendar, frequently updated with new festivals, film screenings, webinars, and workshops. And check out Earth Day’s official list of global events.
2. Plant some seeds to help pollinators. The Live Monarch Foundation will send you 15+ Butterfly Garden seeds and growing instructions for free, even if you can’t afford a contribution. Just mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Live Monarch (limited to one per household) and get Monarch-friendly milkweed seeds to plant.
3. Learn the facts about plastic pollution, what really happens to your plastic recycling, and take the pledge to refuse single-use plastic. Plastic doesn’t benignly biodegrade like natural materials; instead, it breaks up into tiny pieces of itself, turning our air, soils, and waters into a toxic mess of microplastics and nanoplastics that enter our bodies and make us sick. To solve the problem, we need to turn off the tap of plastic production—watch Jeff Bridges tell the truth about plastic:
4. Plant a tree. Arbor Day is on April 25, but why not get started early for Earth Day? You can plant your own seedling (check out some tips here to make sure you’re planting the right tree in the right space) or join a local tree-planting initiative. Increasing green space is important, especially in cities and urban areas. Plants and trees in cities can help mitigate the impacts of pollution and a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect.
5. Track & clean up pollution where you live. Contribute to valuable scientific data in your community by downloading the 5 Gyres TrashBlitz app and recording your findings—click here for a quick start guide. Visit any U.S. National Park or NPS-managed land, explore and pick up trash as you go, then log your findings (item, brand, material) in the TrashBlitz app. If you’re organizing or joining a larger cleanup initiative, add a brand audit to your cleanup efforts to help identify the companies responsible for plastic pollution.
6. Talk about the issues. Start the conversation (or keep it going) with your friends, relatives, and neighbors about plastic pollution, the climate crisis, and why we must protect our environment. Discuss the facts and solutions about plastic pollution. Research shows that simply having conversations about environmental issues and expressing concern can be impactful.
7. Sign a petition and consider donating to Plastic Pollution Coalition. The team at Plastic Pollution Coalition is working every day toward a world free of toxic plastic pollution, and we need all hands on deck. Sign one of our petitions or donate to make a difference.
Thank you for caring about our Earth, today and every day. 🌎
