While every day should be Earth Day, only one day of the year has been designated as such. Thus, let's take this opportunity to participate in activities and embrace practices that we should continue year-round.
By choosing to live a green lifestyle, you will not only be improving the environment, but also your health and the well-being of generations to come.
What are you doing this Earth Day? Add your activity to the slideshow below, or tweet it to us using the hashtag #EarthDayFun.
Earth Day: Get Involved
Text "TREE"(01 of11)
ACT: Text "TREE" to 85944The Green World Campaign, in partnership with Earth Day New York, will launch an initiative to "ReGreen the World" focused on supporting the United Nations Year of Forests 2011.By texting "TREE" to 85944, supporters will help global tree-planting initiatives in environmentally damaged areas of the world. The text message will be a one-time donation of $5 to fund the planting of five trees. Donations will be used to plant trees in countries such as Kenya, a nation where forests cover only 2% of the land. According to the campaign, planting new trees can increase biodiversity, reduce atmospheric CO2, and offer economic self-sufficiency for struggling communities.For more information, visit the Green World Campaign's website.(AP Photo/Lee Reich) (credit:AP)
Picnic(02 of11)
ACT: Go on a picnic.The Nature Conservancy is encouraging everyone to get outside on Earth Day by going on a picnic.Over 350 picnics in 6 continents are currently planned, including one at Seattle's Pike Place Market. Chuy will be hosting a picnic on E!'s "Chelsea Lately."Picnic for the Planet will be mapping picnic locations and gathering photos and videos on an online hub. Those interested in sharing images, videos and stories from their picnics are encouraged to use the tag "#picnic11" on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. To learn more and find a nearby picnic, visit earthday.nature.org. (credit:AP File)
Pledge(03 of11)
ACT: Make A PledgeThe Earth Day Network offers you an opportunity to pledge to take action on Earth Day. Over 100 million people have already pledged on act.earthday.org to help the environment. People have pledged to call their representatives, spend less time using electronics, buy energy efficient light bulbs, stop using plastic bags, and many more.Of course, the second step to taking to pledge is to actually act on it!Visit the Earth Day Network's website for more information.
Get A Bag(04 of11)
ACT: Buy and remember your reusable bag.The U.S. wastes an estimated 100 billion plastic bags every year. By purchasing a reusable bag, you can cut down on your waste (as long as you remember to bring you bag when you go shopping!)Many stores now have reusable bags for sale by the checkout line. If you can't find a good bag near you, search online for eco-friendly bags.To remember your bags, try writing a note to yourself, keep a bag in your car, or hang one on your door. Look online for Earth Day deals -- you may even find a free reusable bag!(AP Photo/David Duprey) (credit:AP)
Buy A Bottle And Mug(05 of11)
ACT: Buy a reusable water bottle and travel mug.Americans buy nearly 30 billion plastic water bottles per year.Try swapping to a BPA-free, reusable water bottle instead. Visit Klean Kanteen or another store that sells BPA-free reusable water bottles.Also pick up a travel mug. If you buy just one cup of coffee each day (and really, how many people can stop at just one?!) then you're wasting 365 paper cups each year. On Earth Day, Starbucks is offering free coffee/tea to everyone who brings in a reusable mug.(AP Photo/Bobble) (credit:AP)
Swap The Bulbs(06 of11)
ACT: Swap in energy-efficient lights.According to Energy Star, if every home in the U.S. replaced just one bulb with an Energy Star-approved light, we would prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year. That's equivalent to 800,000 cars. Plus $600 million saved in annual energy costs.Look for the Energy Star label when purchasing energy-efficient bulbs. To dispose of old bulbs, see if your bulb's company lets you mail them back or check out Earth911 to see if your bulbs can be recycled.Pledge to change in an energy-efficient bulb on Earth Day.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (credit:AP)
Cut The Lonely Car Use(07 of11)
ACT: Walk, bike, or carpool.Estimates suggest that on average, cars emit over 8,000 pounds of CO2 every year. Assess your options, and find a way to walk, bike, bus, or carpool to your destination. Some states offer carpool programs, and there are even websites now that will connect you with other carpoolers in your area. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) (credit:AP)
Ditch The Beef(08 of11)
ACT: Cut down on your meat consumption.While local, organic, in-season, and sustainable foods have all been considered good options for the environment, some new studies suggest that the most effective way to green your food is to go vegetarian. Statistics show that if ever person in the U.S. ate vegetarian for just one day, we would save 100 billion gallons of water and 70 million gallons of gas. Plus we would save a lot of animals from the slaughterhouse. People also can reap health benefits from a vegetarian lifestyle -- The ADA suggests that a vegetarian diet could help prevent certain chronic diseases and cancers.The NRDC estimates that if all Americans cut out just one quarter-pound serving of beef per week, it would be like taking four to six million cars off the road.Check out some vegetarian recipes offered for Huffington Post's Meatless Mondays, and make Earth Day a Meatless Friday.(AP Photo/Larry Crowe) (credit:AP)
Attend A Concert(09 of11)
ACT: Attend the "Rock Against Poverty" concert in NYCFor those living in NYC, Rock Against Poverty (RaP) will host a free Earth Day benefit concert to inspire action on fighting poverty and climate change.Grammy Award Nominee Trey Lorenz and over 10 bands are scheduled to perform in Tompkins Square Park on April 22 from 2-6pm. Other performers include American Idol finalist ANWAR; Dale Stephens (RaP co-founder); Dirty Rotten Liars; Timothy Thomas; Hierosonic; Ultralust; Bobby Syvarth; New York Blues Project; Lily Vasquez; Minnie Dee; and The Trapps. RaP cites that "nearly 1 billion people worldwide do not have enough food to eat partly due to massive increases in drought, flooding, and changing weather patterns." Concert attendees will be encouraged to help protect the environment, and t-shirts, CDs and other concert memorabilia will be sold to benefit The Vihar Project.To learn more, visit www.rockagainstpoverty.com. (credit:AP)
Support Students(10 of11)
ACT: Join the Bridging The Gap ChallengePhilippe Cousteau's environmental education nonprofit organization EarthEcho International and the United Nations Environment Programme have created a campaign to help students to take action to protect the planet between Earth Day, April 22nd and World Environment Day on June 5th. EarthEcho's Water Planet Challenge helps students and educators create service-learning projects in their communities. During a six-week Bridging the Gap Challenge, students and educators will receive web-based tools and service-learning materials to help them take action. The website www.earthecho.org offers downloadable action guides, story sharing options, grant applications, and educational materials.The Water Planet Challenge is now available to over half of U.S. schools.Visit EarthEcho's website for more information. (credit:AP File)
Say No To Junk Mail(11 of11)
ACT: Cancel junk mail subscriptions.Americans receive over 100 billion pieces of junk mail each year. Most of this paper is thrown away, contributing greatly to waste levels. The AFP reports that about one billion dollars per year is spent on mail disposal.Take action to stop unsolicited mail. Call up catalog companies and request to unsubscribe. You also sometimes can contact coupon and credit card companies directly, requesting to have your name removed from lists. Click here for more suggestions.(AP Photo/J Pat Carter) (credit:AP)
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