Make Earth Day Forever With Easy Ways To Reduce, Reuse And Recycle

Every year on April 22, millions of families around the world celebrate Earth Day. The brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, Earth Day began as a “national teach-in on the environment.” The first Earth Day was held on April 22,1970 to maximize the number of students that could be reached on university campuses.

By raising public awareness of pollution, Nelson hoped to bring environmental causes into the national spotlight. The holiday is now a global celebration that’s sometimes extended into Earth Week, a full seven days of events focused on green living that encourages us to appreciate the environment and become more aware of the issues that threaten it.

A day to start making a lasting impact

Earth Day is the perfect time to start your kids on a lifelong journey of caring for our planet and to set up habits that will make a real difference. Everyone from preschoolers to teenagers can reduce, reuse, and recycle this Earth Day, with the goal of building all these positive moves into the daily routine. Earth Day is just one day, but our Earth is forever and our actions throughout the year will make an impact that lasts well beyond our lifetimes.

Teach toddlers and preschoolers to reduce, reuse and recycle

Teach your kids to turn off the water when brushing their teeth and turn off the lights when leaving a room

Have young ones place items such as paper and tin cans into dedicated recycling bins rather than the trash.

Transform trash into treasure. Preschoolers can create beautiful works of art by repurposing bottles, yogurt cups, leftover fabric scraps and the like.

Show little ones how to cool your house on hot days by pulling the drapes closed instead of relying on air conditioning. On cold days, bundle up in layers rather than turning up the heat.

Make bird feeders out of natural ingredients like pine cones and birdseed.

Engage them in planting a garden and growing vegetables that your family can eat.

Get a houseplant or two and explain how plants improve the air we breathe.

Make sure your kids’ toys and games are eco-friendly, like wooden puzzles dyed with non-toxic stains or balls that are BPA- and phthalate-free.

Encourage school-age kids to help out

Elementary school kids can help with shopping for recyclable products and learn to read the labels that spell out recycled content.

Kids can be in charge of recycling bins throughout the house, keeping them clean and emptying them each week into curbside recycling bins.

Start composting, either with a small container on the kitchen counter or a big pile in your backyard. Kids can throw in egg shells, coffee grounds, and most food scraps and wait for them to turn into rich soil for use with plants outside and in.

With your kids, sign up to pick up trash from community spaces like playgrounds, parks or beaches.

Use reusable water bottles rather than single use plastic bottles.

Plant a tree at school or home. Plant milkweed native to your area to help the monarch butterfly population.

Add these actions as your kids get older

Visit thrift shops to nab pre-owned pieces that otherwise may have ended up in the landfill. These are also great places to pick up quirky bags to use for shopping, replacing disposable plastic or paper bags.

Have them unplug their electronics and chargers and turn off their desktop or gaming monitors when not in use.

Ask them to come up with creative ways to collect rainwater for use on houseplants or flowers.

Recycle old cell phones. Make sure to take out SIM cards and erase the phones first, usually with a factory reset. Teens may also need to remove the battery and research how and where the battery can be recycled properly.

Use a timer to conserve water when taking a shower.

With your kids, host or volunteer at an e-waste collection event.