family fun
Celebrate Earth Day, EVERY DAY!
By Jennifer Halter
E
arth Day is on Friday, April 22, 2022, and is celebrated globally to bring awareness about the importance of caring for the environment. This year’s theme is Invest in our Planet, encouraging us to take an all-in approach to create a partnership between businesses, governments and citizens to work toward restoring nature and building a healthy planet for generations to come. Even though we have a day dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of protecting our planet, we can strive to do our part every day in our homes and throughout our communities to invest in our future.
At Home
Recycle. Create a fun system for recycling within your home. As more schools and organizations are recycling, your child is likely more familiar with the blue bins and even with being aware of whether something should be recycled. Don’t worry if you don’t have access to blue bins at home. You can create your own! Set up bins/ boxes for the various items (plastic, glass, aluminum, etc.) and allow the kids to decorate and label them. Introduce a little friendly competition or set fun goals by seeing who can recycle the most each week. Reduce food waste. Plan meals in advance with your family and create a shopping list…and stick to it! Make snacks easily accessible, so they are easy to grab and more likely to be eaten instead of getting lost in the fridge or pantry. You can buy items in bulk, which uses less packaging and put them in your own reusable containers/bags. If fruits, vegetables or meats are getting
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April 2022 prince william living
close to their expiration date, find ways to store and preserve food, such as freezing, canning or dehydrating. Grow your own food. Having a garden at home benefits the environment. Save time and fuel by not having to travel to a grocery store to buy produce and herbs. Plus, having your children involved during the process from seed to fruit or veggie can help make them more excited about consuming healthy foods, making for less food waste. Use reusables. Invest in reusable items instead of disposable, such as cups, bags and utensils. Use refillable water bottles for school and the workplace, and try to find mugs or tumblers that keep your beverage hot or cold, so you don’t need to use energy to reheat. Keep some reusable grocery bags in your vehicle (because it’s easy to forget to bring them on your shopping trip), and be sure to ask your store if they provide credit for using your own. Conserve electricity. Create a habit of turning off lights and electronics every time you leave a room or when items aren’t in use. For younger children, make simple picture signs and place them near light switches or other frequently used items as a reminder. Donate. Landfills are often bombarded with household items, clothing, etc., that could easily be donated and reused or repurposed. There are many local organizations for donating items, including some that will come to your home and pick up from you. If items are in poor condition and aren’t suitable for donating,
