April 22nd is Earth Day and April 26th is Arbor Day – both a great time to support environmental protection and to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Here are just a few ways you can do your part this year.
Park the Car
Use a more eco-friendly method to get around for one day. Walk, cycle, rollerblade, skateboard, or take the bus or train, but leave the car at home. If that’s impractical, try carpooling instead.
Recycle Electronics
Most of us have one or two unused or outdated electronic devices in our home. However, throwing them in the garbage pollutes landfills and it is illegal to dispose of many of these items improperly in Rhode Island.
DEM Rhode Island offers an interactive map of collection locations were households can dispose of E-waste such as desktop computers, CRT monitors and televisions, flat screen monitors and televisions, laptops, notebooks, and tablets with larger than hand-sized screens.
Grow Your Own Food
Store-bought organic food can be expensive, so why not grow your own? You don’t need a big garden – just start a plant in a pot and sit it in a window, on a balcony, or on your front step. Herbs, lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes all grow well in containers, even for novice gardeners.
Enjoy the Outdoors
Get outside and take a walk through a local park, breathe in the fresh air, and admire the trees. Rhode Island offers many parks in every town and city that you can visit for a picnic, a stroll, or just to relax and read a book underneath a tree.
Run or Walk a Marathon
Providence offers a unique 5k or 10k marathon each Earth Day. It’s virtual, so you can complete the race any time in April and wherever you live.
Participants submit their time and receive a beautiful earth medal. Plus, 15% of every registration to Wild Earth Allies whose mission is to protect vital areas of our natural world to benefit wildlife, habitats, and people by inspiring collaborative action.
Attend an Earth Day Cleanup
Rhode Island offers many cleanup events honoring Earth Day. Volunteers collect litter in communities throughout the state. Check on your city or town’s website and get out and tidy up a park, beach, or roadside. You’ll not only improve your neighborhood – you’ll help the planet.
Go Bird Watching
Bird watching is a great activity for the entire family. Rhode Island has over 60 bird watching trails and you can find some of the best on the interactive map here. All you need is a pair of binoculars, patience, and a field guide, which you can typically buy for less than $20. It’s a great way to make children more aware of nature and the creatures that live in it.
Plant a Tree
The Arbor Day Foundation offers many opportunities to plants trees through their membership, which costs $10. They’ll either send you 10 trees that grow well in your area that you can plant yourself, or they’ll plant 10 trees on your behalf in our forests or the rainforest.
Earth and Arbor Day help raise awareness about environmental issues and the importance of protecting what we have. Choose an activity and do something to make this a healthier, happier world.
