Today marks Earth Day’s 50th anniversary! While we can’t participate in some of the more traditional ways this year, we’ve put together 50 ways you can give back from the safety of your own home. There is only one Earth, let’s do our part to help preserve it!
- Ditch single use plastic containers! Store leftovers and takeout in reusable, washable containers.
- Hang your laundry instead of putting it in the dryer to save energy.
- Turn off your lights when you leave the room. You can have a big impact doing this while working from home!
- Switch to paperless billing. There are many benefits to doing this and Pledge 1% member DocuSign has a number of tools and resources to help you get started. Learn more about the DocuSign for Forests Initiative and see how they’ve preserved over 2.5 million trees to date.
- Feeling stir crazy in your house? Go through your closet, set aside what you no longer need, and donate items to your local Goodwill.
- Order a reusable coffee cup from your favorite local cafe. While we currently can’t go out for coffee, we can use this time investing in sustainable kitchenware and supporting local businesses!
- Unplug! Take a break from your devices to save power. This is a win-win: its good for you and for the planet!
- Think about how you can empower your customer and client network to reduce their carbon footprint. Pledge 1% member Flexport, for example, is working with Carbonfund.org to offer their clients a carbon offset program. Read more about their efforts here.
- Go vegetarian once a week. Encourage your team to get involved and start a Meatless Monday recipe swap. It’s something you can use to rally your teams and connect them while we work from home.
- Take care of your houseplants. As we shelter in place, now is the perfect time to give some love to your houseplants. Share your photos and tips with your team or neighbors, and see how together you can make the world a little greener.
- Plant a tree from the comfort of your own home by donating to The Nature Conservancy’s One Billion Tree Project. Your donation will go directly towards planting trees in deforested areas.
- Buy locally. By supporting local small businesses, you can also reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to transport imported goods.
- Take a moment to look out your window and reflect on just how awesome our planet is.
- Recycle old electronics. When thrown away in landfills, electronics erode and leave behind corrosive, toxic substances. Stores like Best Buy accept products free of charge and may even offer a gift card!
- Track your carbon footprint using this easy, online tool from The Nature Conservancy. It may even inspire you and your team to walk or bike more when possible.
- As you walk to the store or take your short breaks outside, keep an eye out for any litter and help pick up trash around your neighborhood.
- Join a bike-sharing program so you’ll be ready to ride to the office once we start commuting again!
- Join your local Climate Reality Chapter. Climate Reality will connect you with engaged activists just like you to help bring change to your community. Learn more here.
- Educate yourself! Listen to a climate change podcast, like America Adapts. Host and climate change adaptation expert Doug Parsons talks to scientists, journalists, activists and policymakers about the challenges of adapting to climate change. They also discuss actions you can take to help slow down the process.
- Educate your kids. There are great tools geared towards educating kids about climate change. Check out NASA’s website for activities or download the book 10 Things I Can To Help My World.
- As you plan ahead for your next corporate event, consider going swag-less for you and your vendors. This will significantly reduce waste. Salesforce did this at last year’s Dreamforce. You can read more about their sustainability initiatives here.
- Replace paper towels with old cloth rags. As a bonus this will help with the TP shortage!
- Join a library and rent ebooks instead of buying new books. You can also donate books to your local Little Free Library. People are in need of materials to read while we shelter in place, and many have now converted to Little Free Pantries.
- Recycle batteries. Collect what you have around the house and get more information from your local drop-off station.
- Print double sided and make sure you only print the pages you need.
- Get your news digitally vs. newspaper delivery.
- Reuse wrapping paper and cut down on your paper and plastic consumption.
- Conserve water by taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth.
- Cooking from home more? Learn which types of fish are most sustainable and choose your fish wisely.
- Take part in EarthDay.org’s Daily Challenge, which includes 22 ideas of how you can help.
- Take notes on your computer vs. paper.
- When ordering takeout, skip the utensils and use your own at home.
- Try composting! Reduce food waste and transform food scraps and lawn clippings into fresh, nutrient-rich soil for your plants. It’s a great project to start for home! Here is a quick how-to guide from the EPA.
- We can’t visit our beautiful national parks this Earth Day, but we can thank park staff. Post on social media or send a thank you note to your favorite park’s team to acknowledge all that they do to preserve our planet.
- Get your hands dirty and start an indoor or outdoor garden. Welcome the spring season by planting native plants, fruits, and vegetables. Many herbs can be easily grown inside!
- Create an art project using just materials from outside. Leaves, pine cones, get creative! Allow yourself to appreciate the outdoors while you are indoors.
- Build a birdhouse and create an oasis for your local neighborhood bird friends. Here are some quick and easy guidelines from the Humane Society.
- Create a list of sustainability goals or small changes you can implement in your daily life to reduce your overall impact.
- Share your commitment to #SDG13 by posting how you are taking climate action!
- Learn how to recycle properly! We love this easy to read guide.
- Reduce food waste and time spent at the grocery store by writing out a list. Planning out meals in advance means you can hit the supermarket knowing you’re buying everything you need.
- Buy bulk products. Food packaging waste accounts for nearly two thirds of total packing waste in the US. Buy bulk quantities of shelf stable foods (pasta, cereal, rice, nuts) – all things that are good to stock up on during quarantine!
- If paper is a must, look for recycled paper products or use the back of an old note or printout.
- Drive slower! Reduced speeds means less fuel. Be kind to your tank, environment and wallet.
- Buy used furniture, books and other items that help reduce your carbon footprint.
- Help save the bees! Backyard beekeeping is a wonderful way to make sure these important species thrive. Bugs not your thing? Many communities have local beekeepers you can buy products from.
- Connect with zoos, aquariums and other animal protection agencies. Many already have conservation initiatives underway and are a great resource for you to understand how to best save our planet’s animals and their habitats.
- Adjust your temperature and save over 10% on your energy usage over the year. Be sure to remember to turn off the heat/AC when you leave home.
- Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. The Huffington Post has a detailed list of how to reduce that pesky mail here.
- Switch from lighters to matches. The majority of lighters these days are disposable, and that plastic adds up. Choose paper matches instead, which are made from recycled paper.
