Earth Day 2011 - What Will You Be Doing?

Earth Day 2011 - What will you be doing? Earth Day is one day out the year when we have the chance to make a resolution. Unlike New Year's resolutions this change doesn't mean a new membership to the gym or stocking up on the nicotine patch. The resolutions we make on this day have a direct impact on our renewable resources and on the way we give back to a planet that has given us a place to live with luscious rain forest, majestic mountains and oceans that tumble with waves for us to play in.

Earth Day is also a day for neighbors to come together and give back to their communities. It is a day for us to pause and reflect on what changes we can make during the next 365 days that will enable our planet to thrive.

What will you be doing on Earth Day? My family celebrates Earth Day in a couple ways. We plant a tree, we start preparing the garden for our summertime growing and in recent years we have gone to the movies to celebrate the wonders of our Earth by watching one of Disney's Earth Day depictions of life on this planet. My youngest daughter and I are especially excited about Disney's African Cats this year.

What are your Earth Day plans? Leave a comment and let us know. But if you are stuck for an idea here are some easy ways to start an Earth Day tradition in your home.

Plant a Tree
Simple and easy. If you have children in school, you will probably have a little stick with some roots come home. Schools give out these delicate, fragile wisps of trees as a way to celebrate Earth Day.

Don't throw the tree away. Buy some potting soil, find a large pot and plant the tree. Water it. Nurture it. And in the fall find a special place in your yard to plant the tree.

Your children will love the connection that they have to this tree as it grows from year to year. A tree in your yard gives back to the Earth by providing a nesting place for birds, a little bit more shade to help your grass endure the summertime heat and it releases oxygen into the air.

If you don't have the opportunity to get a tree from your school, state conservation departments usually have tree purchasing programs that are dramatically cheaper than purchasing through a retailer.

Start a Community Garden
Does your neighborhood have a vacant lot overgrown with weeds and litter? Organize a group of neighbors, friends and family to get together to clean up the lot. Then make a plan to use the space for something much more beautiful and inviting.

Community gardens can be a place with a few flowers and a place to sit peacefully reading a book or watching your dogs play. They can also be extravagant undertakings where multiple families have individual gardening plots and plant fruits, vegetable and herbs that can be divided among the neighborhood.

The American Community Garden Association is an organization that supports the idea and execution of community gardens. This website has links to already established gardens in communities all across the United States. It also has resources for communities wanting to take the first step.

Take a Walk
Take a walk and bring a large, eco-friendly trash bag with you so that you can pick up the trash that seems to miss the garbage truck.

This is a simple Earth Day activity for families. Bring a wagon for the kiddos (those little feet get tired quickly), some snacks to munch on and clean up your street.

As you pick up the trash, talk about what could be recycled and what it could be used for. Not only are you performing a community service picking up the trash, but you are being active and enjoying the spring air.

Earth Day happens once a year, but it is important to remember that our actions should last a lifetime.