THE OUTLOOK #77

#77 PRACTICE

Celebrating Earth Day

How to celebrate our beautiful planet Earth on 22 April

Earth Day has been celebrated for 53 years across 190 countries and is the most widely observed nonreligious holiday in history.

From parades, protests, cleanups to parties, there are countless ways to celebrate everywhere. In the UK, the Extinction Rebellion has organised the largest protest of 2023. 100,000 people are expected to march on 21st-24th April for The Big One to urge Parliament to act on climate change.
If you want to mark the event but are not up for a big protest, we've put together a list of easy things you can do at home as well.

1. Make your garden the perfect place for bees and insects

Around 87% of households in the UK have a garden. According to The Wildlife Trusts, these cover a larger area than all our nature reserves combined. Even small changes to your garden can help restore wildlife.

Grow butterfly-friendly plants such as fruit trees and daisies to attract a whole array of insects and bees all year round.
Attract birds by adding a bird feeder (you can even make one yourself out of a plastic bottle!)
Finally, let things grow a bit wild in some areas, with a corner of the grass left unmown. Longer grass makes the perfect spot for insects to lay their eggs and will allow flowers to bloom which is great for the bees.

2. Litter picking

Regardless of where you live, you will have unfortunately come across rubbish scattered everywhere when going on a walk.
One of the best ways to connect with nature is through cleanups. On your next walk, take a bin bag and pick up any plastic you find and recycle it when you can!
Not sure where to start? Why not contact a local litter picking group? They're certainly always looking for volunteers to help clean the area.

3. Switch to eco-friendly products in your kitchen and bathroom

Have you ever looked around in your house and notice the amount of plastic containers for your kitchen and bathroom products? It's a lot!

With a few basic staples, you can have a go at making your own cleaning products. If you're not feeling quite this adventurous, why not pay a visit to your local zero waste shop with empty bottles and get refills that will save you money and the planet.

4. Waste less food

The UK throws away around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste every year, the highest amount of waste in Europe. If you'd like to know what your foodprint is, you can take this fun 3-minute quiz.
The most commonly wasted items are bread, milk, potatoes and cheese, mostly due to shops and restaurants ordering too much and poor education on how we should properly dispose of food items.

Some easy ways to reduce waste at home include making a meal plan before doing your shopping so you know exactly what to buy (and it will also save you money!), cooking in batches and freeze leftovers portions to be eaten at a later date and finally regularly go through your fridge and cupboards and make a note of what needs to be eaten soon.

5. Involve your kids

“We have not inherited the land from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children.”

Nature provides countless opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem-solving, and STEM education so make sure to involve your children of any age.
There's countless websites to help you find fun activities to do together and if you're not a DIY person, why not just go for a long walk and take time to explore?

Léa's takeaway

Earth Day is a very important way to celebrate the best our planet has to offer and help fight climate change. But it's also the perfect way to enjoy all the benefits to spending time outdoors.

From a stroll in town to a big walk in the countryside, spending time in nature helps improve your moods, lower your stress level as well as helping you be more active. It would be rude not to!