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By Public and Youth Programs Coordinator Lindsey DeLorey
Celebrate Earth Day at home with your family with these tips:
- Ditch single-use plastics when possible. When you order to-go meals from restaurants, make a note asking for no plastic utensils and limited plastic packaging.
- Cut back on water waste. We are all becoming experts at washing our hands, but remember to turn off the faucet when you are scrubbing the soap in to save water.
- Make an Earth Day sign for your window! Show your support for our planet by creating an inspiring sign to hang in your window for all to see.
- Create recycled art! Find unique ways to repurpose common household items. One idea is to make a dog toy out of an old Tee Shirt! Click here to learn how!
- Take stock of your refrigerator and freezer to avoid waste. Pull everything out of your fridge and check the freshness of your items. Sort the produce that needs to be eaten from the ones that have more time. Check your expiration dates on items that have been shoved to the back and toss the food that is truly bad. Bring the oldest items to the front, and the newest to the back. This way, you’ll grab the foods closest to their expiration date first and cut back on waste.
- Coffee can be for you and your plants! Coffee is a rich source of nitrogen for plants. Outside, sprinkle used coffee grounds around your plants, working them into the soil—the grounds can help keep plant pests away, too. Even inside, many potted plants love a sip of coffee now and again. Add some water to used coffee grounds (enough to give it a tea tint), and water your plants with this mixture about once or twice a month.
- Compost your food scraps! If you have any produce that has gone bad and you can’t use, try composting. You can compost in a Tupperware and store it in your freezer, under the sink, on a balcony, wherever!
- Cut down on energy use. Switch off your laptop at your work-from-home station at the end of the day to save a lot of energy over time. Turn off appliances and lights when they are not in use to make sure you are not wasting energy – and could save money from your energy bill.
- Try out some of these plant-based recipes!
- When life gives you lemons, make...disinfectants! Your store may be out of stock, or you may enjoy natural cleaners, but lemons and other homemade disinfectant solutions work just as well! Try making homemade disinfectant solutions, sprays and wipes using hydrogen peroxide and alcohol. Just make sure your mix is 70% alcohol and leave it to dry on its own. A great way to make wipes is to save the empty Clorox wipes container, insert a roll of paper towels, and pour your solution in!
Share your Earth Day activities with us by using the hashtag #TCMatHome on social media!
About our sponsor
The Earth Day 50th anniversary celebration with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is supported by Glass Barn Indiana Soybean Alliance. Here are five environmentally-friendly soybean facts:
- Unlike fossil carbon sources, soybeans capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They also fix their own nitrogen for plant food, which provides an initial life-cycle advantage over other oilseeds that require nitrogen fertilizer made from natural gas.
- Most soybean acreage in Indiana uses conservation tillage, which disturbs less soil and reduces fuel use.
- Farmers are protecting the waterways by their farms by planting cover crops and buffer strips between the field and the waterway. You can do your part in protecting the waterways by your homes by planting purple cone flowers. They have deep roots that soak up water and help prevent soil erosion.
- Indiana-grown soybeans can be used to make many products including crayons, candles, plastic, rubber, and lip balm. The soy replaces petroleum typically used for these products, making soy bio-based products more environmentally friendly!
- The world is continuing to change and farmers are adapting their practices, utilizing tools and practices that also nurture the environment and help produce more food utilizing less resources.
