Looking to do something in honor of Earth Day? It can feel daunting, like, “What could I possibly do that would help the planet?”
But the answer is, you can make quite a bit of difference.
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An Earth Day website called “The Great Global Cleanup” is a great place to start.
It offers all sorts of ideas: Thinking about a group cleanup? “Small groups can have a big impact!” the site says. What about if it’s just you? “Whether it’s a lot or a little, every piece of litter picked up makes a difference.”
And have you ever heard the term “plogging?” It means to pick up while jogging. “This is a fun and effective way to get a work out while cleaning the community,” the website says.
It’s super helpful and specific, too.
For example, let’s say it’s just going to be you. Need some inspiration?
There are many ways to clean up on your own. Try these ideas:
- Pick up cigarette butts - They’re the most abundant form of plastic pollution and they harm our environment in many way.
- Trail cleanups - Clean up your favorite hiking trail.
- Clean up at home - Look at what the waste you create, remove the single-use items and other items that you commonly throw away.
The whole goal is to get you to sign up, show up and clean up.
If you’re thinking about doing a larger type of event, like with a bigger group, you can play with this interactive Cleanup Map to find something that suits your needs.
After playing around with the tool a little bit, we found it’s actually easier (although this might depend on what device you’re using -- like a mobile phone vs. a tablet vs. a laptop computer) to zoom in on your country and city, rather than type in a ZIP code. There is a good number of events in most regions, so maybe you’ll find something that sounds intriguing or up your alley. Each green dot on the map represents an event, so you can find all the details, and typically some related links, right on this page.
Similarly, if you’re hosting or organizing an event, there are a ton of great resources for you. Here’s a safety checklist for cleanups. You can also register a cleanup here.
Browse around the site on your own to see all your options.
Once you know what you’re doing for Earth Day, tell us in the comments, would you? We’d LOVE to hear about your plans.
Happy Earth Week!