Announcing our Earth Day Coloring Contest Winners!
By keeping the environment clean & green through proper waste management, you too can do your part for the planet!
WE’VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN OUR HANDS!
Let's Celebrate Earth Day!
Support our pollinators - Clean up plastic in your neighborhood or park - Swap out your kitchen and household products - Stop pesticides and chemicals in the garden - Let’s work together to make our planet healthier! Below are some ideas of ways you can make this Earth Day a green one.
Did you know?
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, "the first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, when San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. Dealing with dangerously serious issues concerning toxic drinking water, air pollution, and the effects of pesticides, an impressive 20 million Americans—10% of the population—ventured outdoors and protested together."
Supplies:
- Empty Plastic Bottles (water or soda bottles work great)
- Scissors
- Paint or Markers
- Soil
- Seeds (grass seeds or small flowers are perfect)
Directions:
- Cut the bottle in half - keep the bottom part
- Create small drainage holes in the bottom of the bottle
- Decorate the exterior using paint or markers
- Fill the bottle with soil and plant seeds
- Water seeds regularly!
Credit: Pawsomeverse.com
Supplies:
- Old newspaper
- Water
- Blender
- Food Coloring
- Strainer
- Paper Towels
- Pan or Dish
- Oven
Directions:
- Cut up about a cup of newspaper into small strips
- Add the paper strips and half a cup of water into a blender. Blend the paper into a pulp.
- Pour this material into your strainer to drain the excess water. Use a spoon to press the pulp against the screen
- Place the circle of pulp onto a pile of paper towels and place in an oven-safe pan/dish
- Add drops of green and blue food coloring so your circle resembles Earth
- Place the pan into the oven preheated to 200 degrees. Heat for 4 hours or until dry and hard.
- Trim the edges of your paper Earth
Credit: Little Bins for Little Hands
Ingredients:
- White Cardstock, construction paper or watercolor paper
- A straw
- A dish with low sides or pie pan
- Green constriction paper or green watercolor paints for leaves
- Scissors
- White glue
- Non-toxic acrylic paint
- Non-toxic dish soap
- Water
Directions:
- In shallow pan, mix bubble paint with 1 part paint, 1 part dish soap and 2-3 parts water
- Use the straw to blow bubbles into the mixture
- When you have a large clump of bubbles, place the white paper gently on the top of the bubbles, but do not let it touch the paint mix below
- Put multiple bubble circles on one page or cut out and glue onto a new page
- Use green paper or watercolors to add leaves to your flowers
Credit: A Piece of Rainbow
Check out your local library, or trade books with a friend! Here are some ideas:
Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot
by Andrew Sharmat
The Night Before Earth Day
by Natasha Wing
Biscuit's Earth Day Celebration
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Recycling Day: What Happens to the Things We Throw Away
by Polly Faber
Hooray, It's Garbage Day
by Eric Ode
Backpack Explorer: On The Nature Trail: What Will You Find?
by Storey Publishing
Grab an egg carton and fill each space with something from nature - think a flower, rock, pinecone, leaf, feather, acorn, etc.
Check local websites for a list of trails in your area. Use search words like "hiking trails or city/county parks near me"
Grab a trash bag and some gloves and take a walk around your neighborhood and beautify your local roads
Use key words like "Bike paths near me" to search for areas to explore by two wheels
Check out
this link for more information on how to compost at home
The link will take you to a site with more than 20 ideas of bird feeders you can make with items you likely already have at home!
What Are Pollinators? Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are pollinators. They visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot.
Why Is Habitat Creation For Pollinators Important? Improved pollinator habitats can increase the presence of native pollinators on working vegetable, fruit, and grain farmland. This can improve farm viability and climate change resilience. Climate change is causing more frequent and erratic weather extremes, such as drought and intense rain events.
Here is a list of ideas for ways you can practice conservation from
howstuffworks:
Conserve Water
Be Car-conscious
Walk, Bike or take Public Transit
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Switch to LEDs
Live Energy Wise
Eat Sustainable Foods
Plant a Tree
Give Up Plastics