Happy Earth Day everyone!

It probably goes without saying here on Everyday Earth Chick, but I love Earth Day. Like a lot! It’s a great reminder to think about our everyday habits and how we can do things differently to have a smaller environmental impact.

Several years ago, I held an Earth Day party. We played games outside and I gave everyone a reusable bag with a homemade Earth Day packet. I also made an earth cake which I think was pretty spectacular. It was a round chocolate cake (for dirt), filled with frozen cool whip and strawberries (for magma), and decorated with green and blue frosting. I mean….it’s Pinterest worthy; I can just hear you thinking it. 😉

This year, I have a free downloadable coloring book page for everyone with an earth day theme! Not quite the same as my cake, but still fun! Make sure to tag me (@everydayearthchick on Instagram or @365earthchick on Twitter) and/or use hashtag #eecearthday if you post your colored version! I’d love to see how they all turn out!

Earth Day theme this year is Protect Our Species

So many species (plants, animals, insects) are endangered including many that have a significant impact beyond their immediate habitats. For example, bee populations across the world are in decline which is a huge issue. According to Earthday.org:

“For much of the past ten years, beekeepers, primarily in the United States and Europe, have been reporting annual hive losses of 30 percent or higher, substantially more than is considered normal or sustainable. In fact, one in four wild bee species in the U.S. is at risk of extinction”.

If this doesn’t sound like a big deal, consider how many plants rely on insects like bees for pollination. It’s 90% of all flowering plant species, in case you were wondering. Then, think about how many species rely on those plants to live. This includes all the creatures that use plants for shelter, and the ones that eat nuts, berries, seeds, and fruits – including humans! And on top of that, all the creatures that eat those other creatures that are busy eating the nuts and fruit and plants and seeds! Basically without pollinators like bees, the entire food chain collapses.

That’s why it’s so important to think about our impact! The biggest threats to bees/pollinators is the widespread use of pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat. I would argue that another factor is that the environment is an externality that is never factored into the cost of business. We see the environment and all the services it provides as free and take it for granted. The Earth Day Network provides values associated with pollinators saying:

That’s BILLIONS of dollars of output, for $0 input (or at least a comparatively lower number, I’m not sure if this includes commercial bee keeping or if it’s just wild bee populations). Clearly bees and pollinators are doing a lot of good so we need to make sure we preserve their populations!

Check out some of the following resources to see what you can do to help save the bees, and other endangered species:

• 8 Things You Can Do for Earth Day 2019
• Protect Our Species (check out the Learn More section at the bottom of the page to read about a bunch of different species – facts about them, why they’re important, the threats they face, and what we can do)
• 12 Things We Should All Do To Protect Endangered Species
• 10 Easy Things You Can Do To Save Endangered Species
• Contact your local representatives to protect the Endangered Species Act

If you’re looking for other ways you can make an impact this Earth Day (or any day), some of my favorite posts include:

• This post about greening your commute
• This post about ways you can improve your city
• The Sustainable Living Challenge

You an also check out some of my favorite things that I use every day.

And don’t forget to download your free printable here!

Happy Earth Day Everyone! Be sure to share what you’re doing for Earth Day and tag me/use hashtag #eecearthday!