This may be the only time in history when Good Friday and Earth Day fall on the same date. Earth Day supporters (at least the ones I heard chatting on the radio earlier today) see the rare collision of dates as a good thing, as they feel that since most people are off from school and work to commemorate the day Jesus died for our sins, they will have more time to take part in activities to preserve our precious planet.
Earth Day was created to shed light on how we can all chip in to care for and restore the environment. However, repairing the world doesn’t have to be a chore. If you have children, then make the day a fun experience by partaking in one of the following educational activities:
Recycle: Instead of walking around the house looking for plastic and paper items to recycle, consider showing your children how easy it is to reuse other items. For example, an old sock can make a hilarious sock puppet, and with a few snips you can turn an old blanket into a new belt, headband or tablecloth. Another way to drive home the importance of repurposing old items is to take a field trip to a recycling plant.
Picnic: This year the Nature Conservancy is hosting a massive “Picnic for the Planet” event for families. There will be picnic meet-ups in more than 400 locations around the world, so there’s no excuse not to participate in this global effort. When you are done eating, scour your local park for trash that can be picked up and thrown away. If you have young kids, make a game out of the trash pick-up by offering little treats to the child who collects and dumps the most rubbish.
Bike or Walk: Give your vehicle the day off and hop on a bike to get around. Walk to the park or to church or wherever you need to go on Friday. Then, keep the momentum going by coming up with a list of places you can bike or walk to beyond Earth Day.
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