What To Do for Earth Day With Friends

Go green for this gathering

Many hands make light work (& a happy earth)

Earth Day is coming up April 22nd, 2024, and what better day to get people together than with a dual purpose: Gathering and going green. In an era where we all hear about climate change, regenerative agriculture, pesticides, carbon emissions, and saving the turtles, we have an opportunity to actually step in and join the cause to support our environment’s wellness. How sweet she is to us—offering us mountains to climb (for the best summit moments), oceans to mermaid in, forests to get back to nature in, and so much more. This Earth Day, get your people together and let’s love the land that we live in.

Pro Tip: For any of the ideas below, loving the environment is more fun with friends—as well as people from any organization you’re part of. Think about what groups you’re involved with to invite more people to get together. Whether it's your gym crew, study group, your kids’ class field trip, run club, church group (you get it—if you’re part of a group somewhere), we think this is a great idea to invite everyone together to do something, make some memories, and love the earth while you’re at it.

Top 10 things to do with your friends for Earth Day

1. Plan a clothing swap

How full are all of our closets these days, and how great is it to clear them out? Here’s a way to do a touch of spring cleaning… and you may just fill your closet back up (all in favor of the environment, of course). Clothing swaps are a fun, different sort of entertainment to get people together. 

What to do

1. Go through your closet and gather up clothes to say goodbye to
2. Get your friends together
3. Lay clothes out on display
4. Mix and match different outfits with your friends
5. Add in a modeling show and show off the fresh (reused) fashion

Pro Tip: Hang clotheslines in advance so guests can easily hang clothes. Secure them to fences if you have them for extra display space, or along free walls in your home.

2. Set up a trash clean-up in your neighborhood

We’ve heard of these often before, but how often have we actually done them? Whether you live in a suburban area, in the country, near the ocean, in the city or mountains, you likely can imagine an area you pass by where the litter gathers up. Now is your chance to gather your friends together, or invite a group you’re involved in, get your trash bags out, and give the land we live a little love by cleaning her up, bit by bit. 

Pro Tip: Have gloves, trash grabbers, and hand sanitizer handy.

How do trash clean-ups help? 

1. Improve the environment: Trash can be harmful to the environment, as it contaminates soil, water, and air. By cleaning up trash, we can reduce the amount of pollutants in the environment and protect the health of plants and animals. Do it for the puppies!
2. Enhance public health: Trash clean-up can help reduce the risk of disease and infection passed along from contaminated materials. Doing good in more ways than one. 
3. Boosts community pride: A clean and well-maintained community can foster a sense of pride and ownership among residents, improving the quality of life for everyone who lives there. Blue zone, are we close yet?
4. Reduce the risk of fires: Trash, especially in dry or hot conditions, can create a fire hazard. Cleaning up trash can help reduce the risk of wildfires and other types of fires. Smokey the Bear said it first…
5. Promote sustainability: Trash cleanup is an important part of sustainable living, as it reduces waste and helps protect natural resources for future generations. For the earth and for the kids.

So if you do send out the invite for a trash clean-up, those are just a few reasons you can include for why it’s impactful. 

3. Support your local farmers & throw a farm-fresh dinner

Step 1: Farmers Market

Do just a little bit of research, and you’ll likely be able to find a farmers market in your area. As you stitch together weekend plans with your crew, add in stopping by a farmers market. The amount of local produce, freshly squeezed green juices, specially seasoned hummus flavors, and naturally sweetened baked goods will have you keeping the farmers market as a staple of your weekends (and don't forget your reusable bags!) Are you hungry yet… because we are. 

Step 2: Farm-fresh dinner

‍The eating part! Now that you’re fully stocked with farm-fresh goods from the market, put it all together for a gathering to make the most of this beautiful Earth Day. May the green gatherings continue.

4. Plant a tree or wildflowers

Planting trees or a garden can help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, create new homes for wildlife, and produce fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus, you make your community even more beautiful when you plant more flowers and trees. And how fun is it to watch them grow if they’re around your home?!

What you need

• Seeds, bulbs, or saplings: Find these at your local nursery
• Shovel
• Fresh soil
• Access to water
  

Again, this one may sound pretty common, but do you remember the last time you planted something in the ground? While you’re there, take the opportunity to get grounded. Take your shoes off, stand barefoot in the grass or dirt, and relish the moments and serenity that the earth truly does offer us.

5. Ditch the can

We love bubbly water as much as a fish loves the ocean… but we also know that we can do more of our part in reducing materials thrown away regularly. Consider how you can make your own fancified drink instead of buying cans, and feel good about the environment doing so.

1. Sparkle your own water with a SodaStream (or other similar sparkling water maker)
2. Garnish with fresh fruit (berries or any sliced citrus do the trick)
3. Add a metal straw... and you’ve got a mixture to enjoy far more than you would’ve ever experienced with your old canned sparkling drink.

Alternate option: Buy sparkling water in bulk, rather than cans—most grocery stores have fun flavors available to buy in multiple servings.

Pro Tip: Add an orange, lime, or lemon wedge to homemade bubbly… and have yourself a weekend mocktail. 

6. BYO mugs to the coffee shop

What’s better than a hot girl (or guy) walk to coffee on a free weekend? We’re all about coffee in its latte, cappuccino, French press, slow drip, espresso, and flat white glory… and we also love a chance to do our part for the environment. This Earth Day, incorporate BYO coffee mugs for your Saturday morning coffee shop walks.

7. Get groovy with tie dye

Put together a tie dye and/or natural dye party to repurpose old clothes, instead of throwing them away. Love the environment, and love your funky new gear.

Pro Tip: Tie dye accessories like an old white ballcap, oversized tanks, or white crew socks for something different.

Materials you will need:

• Clothes (cotton or other natural fibers work best)
• Dye
• Gloves
• Rubber bands
• Water
• Plastic wrap or plastic bags (to wrap the fabric while dye sets)

How to tie dye: 

1. Pre-wash the clothes to remove any impurities or adjust any sizing that may interfere with dye absorption.
2. Choose your tying method. We love the crumple, spiral, and accordion fold.
3. Gather the fabric into a tight bundle and wrap rubber bands around it to secure the fold. The spots where you place the rubber bands will resist the dye, creating a unique pattern.
4. Apply the dye to the fabric, making sure to saturate it completely. Use gloves to protect your hands from the dye.
5. Once you've applied the dye, wrap the fabric in plastic wrap or a plastic bag to keep it moist and allow the dye to set.
6. Let the dye set for several hours (during which you can take part in one of the other nine ideas for Earth Day ;) 
7. After setting, rinse the fabric under cold water until the water runs clear, removing the rubber bands as you rinse.
8. Wash the fabric in the washing machine with a small amount of detergent and then dry it.

So, why not throw a 70s style groovy party while you’re at it? They were the ultimate original treehuggers anyway.

8. Host a zero-waste picnic

Now this is fun. Springtime is just about here in our neck of the woods, meaning all the more reason to be intentional to get outside and soak up time in nature. Challenge yourself and your friends to pack a picnic without using any disposable items. Think plastic utensils, plates, or cups—as in, on the do not pack list ;) Bring reusable items like metal or bamboo utensils, cloth napkins, and reusable containers for food and drinks.

Plus, check out how to elevate any social gathering—including a park experience. 

9. Volunteer at a local environmental organization

There are many organizations out there that work to protect the environment: wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers, national parks, and recycling centers. Volunteering is a great way to learn more about environmental issues and contribute to important conservation efforts. And how good does it feel to put your spare time to good use?

10. Bike instead of driving

Finally, to get to any of the above ideas, check out how you can opt to ride a bike (or any sort of wheels—hello, roller skates) rather than drive. In a world where 45-minute spin classes are a normal occurrence (complete with uphill climbs and sprints—likely more strenuous than a ride you would find yourself on to get from A to B), swapping motor wheels for bicycle wheels is more doable than you’d think. Or if driving is still the one realistic way to get there, opt to carpool. Besides, driving is more fun with friends anyway. 

Earth Day may only be scheduled for one day of the year, but are we cliche if we say that everyday can be Earth Day? Pick a few of these ideas, sketch up a bingo board, and see how many of these you can get through with your friends this year. One a month sounds like a great use of Saturdays to us. Here’s to loving our earth back… she sure does love us well.