SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Saturday, April 22 is Earth Day and what better way to celebrate than to get outside to enjoy some nice weather and do some good for our planet.
Earth Day began on April 22, 1970, and every year on this day people from all over the world come together to demonstrate their support for improving the planet and environmental protection.
Luckily for Central New Yorkers, we’ll have a very nice warm day to celebrate our planet.
Temperatures are forecast to rise into the 70s during the afternoon and have plenty of rain-free time until showers become more numerous towards sunset.
Here are a few ideas you and the family can do Saturday to help our community to celebrate Earth Day while also enjoying beautiful spring CNY weather:
Clean Up Your Neighborhood
Grab a trash bag, some gloves, and maybe a grabber tool and walk around your neighborhood and pick up any trash left around. Springtime is when any trash and litter from the winter is revealed after the snow melts. Even just going around your block will make a big difference.
Have a meatless picnic outside
Whether it’s eating lunch outside your home or going to a local park, go meatless and look up some fun plant-based recipes! According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, livestock make up 14.5% of greenhouse emissions. Try a vegan caprese pasta salad with vegan basil pesto, vegan pasta, and pieces of vegan mozzarella mixed with cherry tomatoes! Or whip up a fun fruit and veggie charcuterie board.
Don’t buy new clothes, but spring clean and donate
There’s been a push to not buy anything new like clothing! It’s not only a money saver but can make a difference (even just a small one) in your carbon footprint by rethinking your shopping habit. ABC News’ Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee took the No New Clothes Challenge last year.
Have some old clothes that you’re ready to part with that still have plenty of life left? Take them to your local donation center or list in a local Buy Nothing Facebook group. Or you can even take advantage of the nice day and host a yard sale.
Have fun playing outside
The kids will love to play a nature Bingo game! Come up with your own Bingo cards with recycled or repurposed paper and go around the yard in search of different kinds of trees, flowers, sizes of sticks, and animals. Go for that walk, run, and bike ride around the neighborhood!
Start a compost
Tired of throwing away those food scraps? Put them to good use and consider starting a compost for old food and paper. This will help not only with the amount of garbage we throw away, but create fertilizer for your plants! Research different ways that would work best for your family.
