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By Courtney Lindwall
Earth Day 2018 is here—and the Earth needs us more than ever. The Trump administration is waging a no-holds-barred assault on our clean energy future, the air we breathe and water we drink, our public lands, and our endangered species. But the grassroots environmental movement is energized, and every action each of us takes to honor the planet matters. Here are a few effective—and fun—ways to make a difference this year.
1. Organize a cleanup
You can’t clean up the entire planet, but you can beautify a pocket of your neighborhood. Round up a group of like-minded friends and relatives to pick up trash at a local park or beach or along a popular hiking trail. Chores are always more fun when they become games, so have everyone bring along a reusable bag—you’ll sort the trash from the recyclables at the end—and compete to see who can pick up the most litter. (Bonus points for offering sustainable prizes to the winners.) The cleanup will be a good chance to give something back to your community and an opportunity to show younger participants the importance of reducing waste. It will also be a reminder to everyone just how quickly seemingly small bits of trash, like bottle caps or candy wrappers, add up.
2. Start a compost bin, or pledge to start sending your food scraps to a community composting program
Many people don’t know that the organic food scraps we toss out release methane, a detrimental greenhouse gas, as they decay in the landfill. Earth Day is a great time to start cutting down on how much food you throw out by taking up composting. Composting promotes a circular food system that transforms scraps (and other organic materials, like paper towels) into regenerative and healthy soil.
Making a compost pile in your yard or in an outdoor or indoor bin is easier than you think. You might also be able to find a compost drop-off point for certain food scraps at your local community garden or farmer’s market (just store scraps in the freezer until you’re ready to deliver them). Some big cities also collect organic material as part of the normal scheduled trash pickup. Since food waste makes up a hefty chunk of residential garbage, adopting any of these changes in your routine will help you do your part to fight climate change.
3. Visit your nearest national park or monument
A trip to a national park or monument on Earth Day does more than just reconnect you to nature—it also supports our precious federal lands and waters in their time of need. The National Park Service’s budget is under attack, and the current administration is selling off portions of America’s monuments to oil and gas interests and other extractive industries. By spending Earth Day hiking in a national park, you are showing that the public values these sacred spaces. Through the visitor’s fee, you are also helping to fund them for the next generation of nature lovers.
4. Find a local Earth Day festival
The road of environmental advocacy is long, which is why it’s important to remind yourself that you are not alone in this fight. Attending a local Earth Day gathering will allow you not only to connect with other activists but to also build momentum to make planet-friendly changes in your community. It’s also likely to be an instant mood booster. Consult the website of your local parks department, or search on Eventbrite to find out what’s happening nearby. When you’re out celebrating, be sure to put your name on the mailing list of one of the participating environmental organizations, or exchange contact information with fellow attendees. Remember: Joining forces and combining talents is the only way we’ll be effective enough to meet our clean-future goals.
5. Win a celebrity gift and support NRDC during eBay’s Earth Month campaign
Be a force for nature and snag a gift donated by a big-name celebrity by participating in eBay’s Earth Month campaign. NRDC was selected as eBay’s environmental charity through its “eBay for Charity” partnership program, so from April 16 to 26, friends of the earth will have a chance to win big at eBay.com/EarthMonth while supporting the important work of NRDC lawyers, scientists, and policy experts.
Prizes up for grabs in the auction include:
- A drum set and signed drumsticks donated by musician QuestLove
- A personal voicemail greeting from comedian Sarah Silverman
- A signed print of an original painting by actor Pierce Brosnan
- Four tickets to SOLO: A Star Wars Story donated by Disney
- Two sets of VIP tickets to a Conan taping, compliments of comedian and talk-show host Conan O’Brien
- A signed handbag donated by actress Amber Valletta
- Two POP figures with a signed note, courtesy of actor Thomas Middleditch
- Two VIP passes for the 2018 New York E-Prix, an all-electric racing series, donated by Formula E!
- A signed 35th-anniversary edition Alien poster and collector’s figurine from actress Sigourney Weaver
- Earth Month PINTRILL pins made from recycled materials and made exclusively for eBay for Charity
- A signed The Revenant poster by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and film director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Moreover, NRDC superfans can enter a sweepstakes to win a grand-prize trip to Big Sky, Montana, with NRDC president Rhea Suh and other staffers to explore the wild Rockies alongside their biggest defenders.