5 ways to get your whole family into Earth Day

Earth Day. In my house, it’s the day we try to get all of our ducks in a row (or in a  box to donate). But, as the years have gone on, I’ve become a lot less effective at finding ways to show my boys that it’s both a good and cool thing to do. Thankfully, these fine folks have created some ways to get the whole family poppin’ like Tiny’s Bubble Yum at a ballgame in August at the neighborhood field. And that’s definitely poppin! 

Second Chance Toys

Nearly 14 million children in the United States – 22 percent of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level of $22,050 a year for a family of four. That’s just wrong. Second Chance Toy’s founder Sasha Lipton took steps in 2006 to “make it right” by collecting, cleaning and re-gifting used plastic toys to underserved youth. Simply donating a gently used plastic toy can make a huge difference in the life of a needy child, while keeping non-biodegradable plastics out of our landfills. I teamed up with the #HatchKids to get some toys Earth Day-ready for the kids at Barrier Free Living in the Bronx. Learn more about how you can donate, collect and help in other ways here.

Marie Kondo

This Japanese reduction guru has sold millions of copies of her organizational books. Too much clutter? She’s got a solution. Clothes you aren’t sure you love? You’ll like her tips on how to get them going, going, gone. Make a molehill out of your mountain with her how-to-win-win-mess-be-gone philosophies.

Re-Craft

So many things in our homes can be recycled and have a second life. Folks, the web has tons of great ideas for recycling old goods into new.

Here’s a cool idea from a member of the BlogHer community.

Refresh

Look, who does not like a refresh? In the name of getting all the R’s in a row for Earth Day, I am definitely refreshing my hair. Rejuge, as the kids say. And queens. And while this may seem like an odd thing to do, a little refreshing on the head does wonders for the outlook. And with a brighter outlook, maybe we can make brighter decisions about how we live on this earth! Was that a stretch? Maybe. Maybe not. But this article, 5 ways to refresh your hair color in literally five minutes, shows us how to do it. So again, I must be right.

Repurpose:

Did you know your pantry is chock full of things you can use in off-label ways? That’s doctor lingo (I swiped it from some TV show, so I know it’s right) for using things in ways other than the way the label directs. What do I repurpose? I use coconut oil for make-up removal, hair moisturizing, health shakes (a teaspoon a day) and more! Now that I think about it, I may use it for the much-needed elbow grease that seems to be lacking when I ask my son to wipe the table. But I digress…

Turns out, I’m not the only one who repurposes household goodies, either. In fact, check out these 10 baby products that adults can use too!

Earth day is a great way to connect with your loved ones about what really matters — being together, building forward and being present. Give the gift of a truly sustainable legacy; one reused, reduced, recycled, repurposed object at a time. Use our discussion guide to celebrate Earth Day with your own kids.