Earth Day at Home
Earth Day at Home
Although it looks a little different this year, celebrating Earth Day at home is easier than ever. A whole bunch of small actions is what we need to continue building more vibrant communities and a brighter future for all. That being said, we’ve compiled a list of 8 wonderful actions you can take to make a difference for your beautiful corner of the world… no matter where you call “home”!
1. Plant a Tree
Trees help clean the air we breathe by absorbing harmful pollutants and releasing clean oxygen. Their intricate root system filters the water we drink by removing pollutants. Trees also capture rainwater and reduce the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides. Trees help cool the planet by sucking in and storing harmful greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, and can reduce the overall temperature of the earth. And last, but certainly not least, a single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insect, fungi, moss, mammals, and plants. We can’t imagine you’d need any more reasons to plant a tree, but if you do, you should check out One Tree Planted, because they’re kinda good at this stuff: They planted over 4 MILLION trees in 2019! (The most we’ve managed so far is 1,200 in a day… Not a bad start!)
2. Clean Up Your Neighborhood or Park
If you’re looking to get some fresh air while making an impact on your community and local wildlife, why not clean up your neighborhood or a local park? Although many hands make light work, it’s a safer bet right now to clean up areas around you while maintaining a safe distance from others. One tip to help you out while you’re cleaning up your community is to have one bag for recyclable materials and one bag for waste materials. If you’re looking for a park nearby, take a look at this map. Also, check out this awesome video, “Power of Parks”:
“Parks have the power to impact every community through health and wellness, conservation and social equity.”
3. Build a Birdhouse
Building a birdhouse is an activity the whole family can get involved with! You can get really creative here and add some serious flare or keep it natural so it blends in with its surroundings. Whichever route you choose, the birds will be “singing” your praises! There are pre-cut kits available, or upcycled versions can be created from supplies you have around your house. Or if you’re really handy, you can build one from scratch with this 7-step tutorial!
4. Plant a Pollinator-Friendly Garden
Did you know that bees contribute over $20 billion to U.S. crop production? Bees play a role in nearly all food production – even meat and dairy! Our cattle need barley and alfalfa to eat, which the bees pollinate. Without bees and our other pollinator friends, human diets would be very different. We love having the ability to plant wildflowers at our Community Solar Arrays. If you’d like to attract pollinators to your garden using native plants, you should check out this guide from the U.S. Forest Service, or check out some quick tips here. You can even type in your zip code to see which wildflower species are native to your location!
5. Keep Recycling
It’s hard to believe, but the average person throws out about five pounds of trash daily. And what’s worse? 75% of garbage is actually recyclable (or compostable — more on that later!), but we only recycle about 30% of it here in the United States. If you’re here on Earth Day reading this, we’d bet you’re probably already doing your bit with recycling… But, if you need a refresher or you’re just starting out (you’re welcome, kiddos!), here’s a list of the most commonly recyclable materials and how to recycle them. We’re also adding a fan-favorite resource here, which has an even bigger list of recycling-focused information — crafts and coloring books included!
6. Start Composting
Composting is an action all of us can take at home to reduce our carbon footprint. By diverting food waste from our trash cans, we can avoid filling up landfills with products that leak potent greenhouse gases, like methane, when they decompose. We’re happy to share this guide to composting at home, but if you want the “quick and dirty” (pun intended) process, check out our video below!
7. Finish an Upcycling Project
Have you been storing some old furniture in your garage or attic that’s been collecting dust for the last 10 years? Yeah, us too. If you’ve been itching to bring an outdated piece back to life, now is the perfect time to get it cleaned up and in tip-top shape to help beautify your living space — or, you can sell it for some extra cash! Upcycling is important because it reduces the amount of waste that goes into landfills while minimizing the amount of energy it takes to produce new items. Hopefully these amazing projects will provide you with some serious inspiration!
8. Check Out Solar With a Virtual Visit
Of course, we might be partial to this idea for Earth Day at home, but we’d love it if you joined our community of solar superstars! We’re offering virtual home visits for the foreseeable future, and even have Community Solar options that you can sign up for entirely online. Oh, and be sure to check out our SunCommon at Home page to learn more about maximizing your clean energy potential.