Well today is Earth day, a little celebrated holiday in most spheres of the globe, but actually a day that is growing in importance to our children and the future generations of humanity. For without our earth, we are kinda of at a loss. If we continue to live as we have over the last hundred years or so, or evolution and need for convenience and comfort, may just oust us from our digs, so here are a few ways to raise awareness in our families about the importance of our earth, on Earth Day.
EARTH DAY NETWORK
For a comprehensive look at Earth Day, go to earthday.org which is a website, that is managed year round, that provides a resource for earth conscious living.
On the site they promote an online pledge called Acts of Green where you can make an online pledge to making the earth a greener place to live. You may want to consider making pledges with your family.
WHITE HOUSE FOUNDATION FOR ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
President Obama has instituted a new foundation for energy and the environment which asks Americans to consider “Pick 5 For the Environment” which encourages people to pick five ways they will commit to living a greener, more environmentally conscious life.
5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY AS A FAMILY
Climatemama.com has a few really fun ideas about how to celebrate Earth Day together as a family.
1. GET OUTSIDE
If the weather permits, take the family out on a picnic or BBQ outside and spend your day playing games outside. Even board games played on a blanket outside can be a lot of fun on Earth Day. You can take a family hike, bring a picnic to the park or use your backyard as a natural escape.
2. WATCH EARTH FRIENDLY MOVIES
Depending on the age of your children, plan a movie night that features earth conscious movies, like AVATAR and WALL.E. You can easily download movies to your computer at Amazon Instant Movies or visit to your local Red Box kiosk and pick up earth friendly titles. About.com has a great list of kids documentaries and movies that you may want to find for you kids, among the titles are:
LIFE, narrated by Oprah Winfrey, which is a follow up to the popular series Planet Earth and explores both micro and macroscopic beings.
Disney Nature’s Earth which follows three animal families across the globe.
Arctic Tale which focuses on a family of polar bears in the north and charts their incredible journey over the years and the devastating affect global warming is having on their environment.
March of the Penguins an award winning documentary that follows Emperor Penguins and the male penguins march to raise their children and continue their species.
3. PLANT A TREE
It is a well known fact that trees and plants are good for our environment as their green leaves produce oxygen, homes for animals and organisms and beautify our world. In honor of earth day consider planting a tree with your family. You can chart its growth by years and enjoy the beauty it provides. Research your local nursery to find fruit trees, shade trees or flower bearing trees for your house, apartment or neighborhood.
Starkbros has a great selection of trees that can be purchased online. And while it won’t arrive in time for earth day, you may want to map out the place you want to put your tree in preparation for its planting then pick the tree together as a family.
4. RECYCLE
The easiest thing you can do as a family to help our planet is recycle, re-use and reduce. One of the largest problems our earth faces is excess waste, so if you can help minimize your family’s carbon imprint on the planet you will be making a significant contribution to the earth’s longevity.
Find out ways you can recycle in your community by utilizing city recycle bins, if they are provided or by finding your local recycling center. Try and re-use plastic containers as arts projects or storage and do your best to reduce your use of waste creating products, like using cloth shopping bags, buy in food items in bulk an avoid fast food restaurants that generate tons of waste every year.
5. SHARE
Talk to other families and friends about becoming earth conscious and choosing greener ways to live.
