Happy Earth Week! Or Earth Day or Earth Month.
Yup, they’re all a thing, but if you’re a die hard, dark green eco-warrior like me you don’t care because every day is a celebration of the big blue and green mama. In this house it’s AEAYR (All Earth All Year Round), but this time of the year is definitely my favorite. Spring is springing, the flowers and gardens are blooming, and this is when everyone pays a little extra attention to the Earth.
So without further ado (or “a-dew” if you tend to be a bit punny) it’s time to send out the email with all my favorite companies that are celebrating Mama Earth with some awesome specials and discount, it’s my way to help out the green and save you some green at the same time. Feel free to check out last year’s Earth Day article HERE, which was chock full of companies that in my opinion were very AEAYR-worthy.
This year I’m doing my best to live a more minimalistic life and buying less, and I wanted to share with you 20 ways to celebrate that cost either no money or very little. I am forever grateful for all of you…my amazing, fantastic readers and I try to give you links when I can but since you live all over the world I suggest you use your favorite, trusty search engine to find places near you (Ask Jeeves isn’t going to work for everyone). There’s also a TON of great non-profit organizations that are doing fantastic work so I urged you to go local.
For 2023 I’m taking a more minimalistic path, but it’s still paved a lovely shade of green. Won’t you join me?
Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.
- Donate gently used clothes you don’t wear or have outgrown to a local organization. Many have bins so you can easily drop them off.
- Participate in a beach/park/town cleanup.
- Check out your local farmers market, support local businesses and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Check out your local library and sign up for a card. Libraries have ditched the confusing card catalog and offer so much more now, even online. Mine offers movies, events, and even free tickets to local museums saving me money.
- This is it! This is the year you’re going to turn off lights when you’re not in the room, turn off the water while brushing your teeth and only run the washing machine and dishwasher when it’s full.
Clean out one junk drawer.- Get outside and take a walk or ride your bike. Want a great idea to get walking every day? Find a local animal shelter and donate your time to walk a dog. Great way to keep yourself accountable to walking every day and you get time in the great outdoors. And if you’re already a pet-parent then take them on an extra walk, you’ll both appreciate it.
- Start composting.
- Plant a small food garden, herb garden or join a community garden. You don’t need a lot of space. I grew herbs in small planters when I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn and I have friends who grow veggies in planters/pots.
- Pledge to say no to plastic straws. Use stainless steel straws (be sure to keep them clean) for lemony drinks to save the enamel on your teeth.
- Regrow kitchen scraps. Click HERE to see how.
- Make a pledge not to buy anything you don’t NEED for a month.
- Eat less meat. Try Meatless Monday – there’s tons of great recipes. I love everything from Nora Cooks and first tried meatless meals with the help of Lisa Project Vegan.
- Unplug your electronics when you’re not using them. Phantom electricity is a real thing.
- Go paperless. Pay your bills online.
Sell your unwanted items on Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark.- Call catalog companies that you don’t use to stop sending them to you. Click HERE if you live in the US and want to stop junk mail.
- Sign a petition on the Earth Day website.
- Lower your heat by 1-2 degrees. Raise your air conditioning by 1-2 degrees. You won’t even notice it.
- Plant a tree with The Canopy Project for as little as $1.
