Earth Day is day to reflect and appreciate the beauty of earth. We celebrate this day as a reminder to take care of Mother Earth as she has taken care of us.

1. Take a Hike

Plan a day at a national park near you. Pack a paper sack lunch to spend the day admiring nature. Don’t forget your camera or even your iPhone will do to capture the day’s event. Take in nature in its most natural state with the placement of rocks, the trees and their formation and the water falls where they start to flow off cliffs. Hiking is such a spiritual event that really makes the soul feel refreshed. Seeing the beauty of nature with little animals scurrying about, possibly watching birds flying and perching, plus deer are such a relaxing way to take it all in. Sometimes taking a hike is the best advice someone can give.

2. Have a Garden Seed Swap Party

Do you have neighbors or friends that also love to garden? You can host a luncheon inviting them over to have a seed swap. You can either provide all the lunch foods if you desire, or make it even more interesting with a potluck and have everyone bring recipes that contain some of the garden varieties from the seeds they bring. Having a theme party is fun. See how creative people can be with their seeds, recipes and maybe even a garden hat design activity to decorate the hats they bring. Oh, the ideas are just endless…

3. Get Together with Friends to Paint Positive Messages on Rocks

Ask friends, neighbors or even a community to come together with non-toxic paint, natural rocks, brushes and other items to paint positive messages on rocks. This would be fun for all ages! The idea is to have a variety of painting skills to have happy messages on rocks that are later put in various spaces around the town you live in. People stumble across these messages and it makes their day! Perfect for Earth Day!

4. Commit to Recycling

Set a space in your home or preferably your garage for bins marked as “glass,” “paper,” “plastic” and make a point to separate items by category. Once a month take your collection to your local recycling center. Make sure you do this activity as a family to teach by example so the kids will continue in your recycling footsteps.

5. Plant a tree in honor of someone

One of the best ways to honor Earth Day is to give back to Mother Earth by planting a tree, or many trees. We know that trees are very beneficial to us as well as wildlife. For example: Trees produce oxygen, reduce smog and enhance the communities’ respiratory health. Access to trees, green spaces and parks promotes greater physical activity, reduces stress while improving the quality of life in our cities and towns. They attract new residents, industry and commercial activity. So, the benefit of trees is to us is essential! Planting trees is a beautiful way to honor those who have meant a lot to us.