Eight Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

At Dr. Logan Speaks, we are all about living in harmony with others and the earth. We’re committed to sustainability all year round and we believe diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t complete unless we’re addressing issues like environmental racism, climate refugees and more. Join us in celebrating this Earth Day by participating in one (or all eight!) of our activities below.

Pick It Up

1No matter where you live and work, you’re bound to drive or walk by countless pieces of trash every single day. This Earth Day, grab a trash bag, hand sanitizer, and gloves, and take an intentional walk around your block to give it a bit of a facelift! That litter won’t go anywhere if we don’t make an effort to pick it up, so let’s do our part for the earth this year.

Level up: carry trash bags with you (like dog waste bags) on your regular walks and make cleaning up your neighborhood a regular practice.

Check Yourself

2With the effects of climate change worsening every year, we must begin to get a sense for how big the problem is and what our role in it is. Take stock of your impact on the environment by calculating your carbon footprint today.

Level up: after completing the carbon footprint calculator, commit to at least one long-term change in your day-to-day practices that will reduce your footprint over the long run.

Garbage to Garden

3If you haven’t yet, start composting! Composting reduces waste going to landfills, can be a great at-home science project for kids, and can even provide you with fertilizer for your home garden or houseplants! Check out these tips and tools for figuring out how to start composting.

Level up: if your food waste gets picked up or if you bring it somewhere to compost yourself, it can get smelly sitting in your kitchen waiting to go. To prevent the odor, keep your compost in a tightly sealed container in the freezer!

Shop Local

4Earth Day is a perfect excuse to start heading out to the Farmer’s Market once it opens up for the season. Markets help the environment by reducing packaging, transport emissions, and building community! A quick Google search of “local farmer’s market” should point you in the right direction.

Level up: If possible, commit to cutting out transport emissions and packaging waste by shopping in your local stores instead of having products shipped to you. This can be a way to get exercise (walk or bike to the store), build community with store employees, and reduce your carbon footprint.

Water is Life

5As the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe knows well, water truly is life. Thinking back on the movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline, it’s helpful to remember that water is an incredible resource that not only sustains life, but that is shared across all forms of life. Remembering Standing Rock can help inspire us to reduce our water waste. Consider shorter showers, not letting the faucet run, and water-saving appliances to use less water.

Level up: if you have a lawn or garden, consider replacing plants that need a lot of watering with drought-resistant or otherwise native plants that are well-adapted to survive with the natural precipitation.

Take the Trash Out of Takeout

6The convenience of ordering takeout is that everything is done and provided for us: someone else bought the ingredients, someone else cooked, maybe someone else delivered the food right to our doorstep. But most of the time, we don’t need someone else to provide us with plastic utensils! When ordering takeout, select a “no utensils needed” option or let the person taking your order know that you won’t need any disposable items.

Level up: challenge yourself to bring reusable containers (when allowed by covid restrictions), and don’t let yourself order coffee or takeout unless you can do so without creating waste.

Turn it Up

7As summer approaches, consider how you can reduce your air conditioning output. Use tactics like closing windows and blinds to keep your space cool, and consider raising your thermostat by one or two degrees. This can make a difference for the earth and for your energy bill!

Level up: consider lowering your thermostat by a few degrees in the winter as well. This might mean wearing more cozy sweaters or using blankets sometimes, but it’ll be worth the energy and money you save!

Commit

8Most of us know the right things to do to lower our carbon footprint, reduce our waste, and treat the earth better overall. But many of us are too distracted, busy, or set in our ways to make the necessary changes. This Earth Day, let’s thank our Mother Earth for taking such good care of us by committing to conversation and action around climate change.

Level up: Who can you “call in” to join you in pledging your commitment to Mother Earth? Send them this article.

Let us know how you’re celebrating Earth Day by tagging us in your social media posts!