It is time to commemorate International Earth Day today! Every year over a billion people in 190 countries take action for Earth Day. From planting trees to cleaning up their communities to turning off electronics for only an hour, Earth Day is considered the biggest environmental event in the world. Earth Day raises awareness for many environmental challenges. As climate change and other environmental problems become increasingly more of an issue, days like Earth Day educate people, transform our cities, and forge a sustainable future. Nothing is more powerful than the collective action of a billion people.

Here are a couple tools and resources for you to get involved with Earth Day in your community:

• Plant a tree: Planting trees helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean pollution, secure soil in place to prevent erosion, and provide homes for a lot of biodiversity.
• Build a birdhouse: Encourage the local bird population!
• Educate yourself and others: Think about the issues that concern you the most and research ways you can help.
• Join a local group: Look for groups or clubs in your community that undertake activities to help protect the environment.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Buy as little as possible and avoid items that come in lots of packaging, especially on Earth Day. Don’t use any disposable plates or cutlery. Recycle all the things you use for the day. Bring a cloth bag to your local supermarket to avoid the use of plastic bags.
• Support local growers: Locally grown food retains nutrients because it gets to you faster rather than a mass produced supermarket.
• Unplug!: For at least one hour go outside and sign off your electronics. Get active!
• Turn off lights: Remember to turn off the lights before leaving a room. Using as little electricity as possible on this day is important!
• Donate: Donate your old toys and clothing to other children who can make use of them.
• Clean up litter: Get rid of litter from roadways and sidewalks in your community. Put on a pair of gloves and get a bag to clean-up. Once you have collected as much trash as possible, place recycled bags along the road.
• Check the label!: Make sure before buying cleaning supplies you check the labels for any harmful chemicals. Earth-friendly cleaning products.