Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day! Let’s celebrate all the amazing and essential things this one and only Earth provides us with every day!

Here are some suggestions on how to celebrate Earth Day:

• Contemplate the state of the planet through the arts. April is National Poetry Month, so here’s a poem for Earth Day by Craig Santos Perez about the effects of climate change: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Glacier (After Wallace Stevens) .
• Volunteer at a local restoration site. Find a stewardship opportunity to plant trees, remove invasive species, restore trails, or other activity that is essential to combat pollution and climate change and preserve our ecosystems.
• Check out King County’s Earth Day events to find one near you.
• Watch an environmental documentary to learn how your everyday choices affect the environment.
• Donate to an organization that helps restore, preserve, protect, or clean up the environment.
• Share your appreciation and create awareness of the earth on social media.

As the anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Here are some things you can do as a thoughtfully committed citizen:

• Give up plastic bottles and use reusable ones instead.
• Give up plastic straws, which make up a huge portion of waste and are not recyclable. Improperly discarded straws adversely affect marine wildlife. Use a reusable straw or no straw at all.
• Opt out of junk mail. Services like Catalog Choice help reduce junk mail while protecting the environment and your privacy.
• Have a waste-free lunch by packing food in reusable containers and a reusable lunch bag.
• Learn the top ten ways you and your family can minimize waste and conserve resources.

Whether or not you’re part of the King County Green Schools Program, check out their list of Earth Day activities.

For more tips on minimizing your carbon footprint, see our other blog post: Let’s Walk for the environment and your health!

Remember we all have an essential role in protecting the earth. Share with us some of the ways you celebrate Earth Day!