Posted on April 20, 2021

Get into the festivities this Earth Day and every day going forward for a brighter sustainable future by trying some of these DIY ideas. Mother Earth will thank you for your greener choices!

Idea 1:  DIY Sustainable All-purpose Cleaner

Put the clean back in your all-purpose cleaner! This DIY cleaner is free from harmful toxins, making it a better option for you and the Earth. Plus, it’s perfect for cleaning almost every mess.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup White vinegar
15-20 drops Essential Oil of choice

How to: In a spray bottle, combine and mix ingredients, shaking if needed.

Idea 2: Composting

Make your house plants and your planet happy with compost! Compost is the mixture of organic material that helps fertilize the soil that brings our Earth and all its plants to life. Not only does composting benefit the planet, but it’s also super easy to do at home! 

Step 1: Choose your location! Composting is easy to do both outside in your backyard, or inside in a bin. If you’re looking to compost outside, make sure it’s placed in a dry and shady area. If the outdoors isn’t your thing, no worries! All you need is a bin that you can leave under the sink, or on your counter.

Step 2: Once you’ve decided where you’ll be composting, the next step is to gather your materials. Using dried leaves as the base of your compost, mix in kitchen scraps like veggies or fruits for your wet matter. Remember, you should always have about three times the amount of dry matter to your wet matter. 

Step 3: Now it’s time to layer! Keep using materials from your yard and your kitchen to build your compost. If your compost starts to smell, add dry material, and if it looks too dry, add water and wet matter. Make sure to turn your compost weekly. Once your compost appears to be a dark rich soil, you know you’ve succeeded—happy composting!

Idea 3: Eat More Plant-based Foods

Celebrate Earth Day by trying out a plant-based diet! Plant-based nutrition is a diet derived from eating plant-based proteins, dairy alternatives and even meatless meats! Now, with so many delicious options, going plant-based for yourself and the planet is easier than ever! 

Good for You: A diet that incorporates more plant-based foods is shown to be higher in dietary fiber and lower in saturated fats and calories when compared to diets higher in meat and dairy intake. Eating more plant-based foods may also help maintain healthy heart function, blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

Good for Our Earth: The production of plant-based products has proven to be an environmentally sustainable enterprise. By reducing the production of animal-based products and increasing the consumption of plant-based products, communities can lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce waste and energy usage. 

Idea 4: Reusable Water Bottles

A reusable water bottle is an easy and cost-effective way to be good to our Earth! Single-use plastic bottles often don’t get recycled, making them harder for our Earth to break down. Luckily, glass and stainless-steel water bottles can be bought just about anywhere and are the perfect on-the-go.

Idea 5: Grow a Food-scrap Garden

If you’ve got leftover scraps from your produce, you can easily grow more with these simple tips. Try this variety for an at-home salsa garden. 

• Tomatoes: Remove the seeds from the inside of a ripe tomato, allow them to dry and plant in a small pot of soil. Place in direct sunlight and water two to three times per week. Once the plant is large enough, you can move it to a bigger pot and continue growing it outside.

• Peppers: Peppers are great to have on hand for a variety of recipes! The best part is that they’re super easy to grow on your own. Take the seeds from your pepper and plant them in soil, avoid direct sunlight and watch them grow!

• Garlic: Next time you bring home a head of garlic, remove one of the cloves and plant it with the root down in the soil. Keep outside in the sunlight and water two to three times per week.

• Cilantro: Cilantro can grow new leaves by simply placing the stems in a shallow cup of water near, or on a windowsill–it’s as easy as that!

• Onion: Cut the root of the onion at about 1/2-inch thick and place in soil. Allow the onion to get plenty of sunlight and keep the soil moist by watering as needed