12 Fun Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day has been gaining momentum every year since its launch in 1970.  We came up with some unique, fun, and impactful ideas people can do this year—solo or with others—to celebrate and give back to the planet: You can also check out our news section for Arkearth opportunities where you can volunteer or just come hang out with us!

🌱 Things you can do with friends, your community, and school

1.   Host a “Trash Treasure Hunt” Organize a cleanup with a creative twist by turning it into a scavenger hunt. Include quirky items to hunt down and find. Offer small prizes for things like, most Coke cans, or most Wendy’s burger wrappers,” or “weirdest find”. Make it fun and share pictures and videos online.

2.   Adopt a Local Pollinator Garden This is a great initiative to schedule weekly with different volunteers.  Partner with a school or community center to start or sponsor a garden with native plants that support bees and butterflies. You can include pollinator habitats, solar water fountains, and even bat houses for the night crew of pollination and mosquito reduction.

3.   Do a One-Day Carbon Fast Challenge yourself or a group to go 24 hours without driving, buying anything, eating meat, or using single-use plastics. You may think it doesn’t make a huge difference, but the practice creates an awareness of just how much we impact the planet and that can lead to even small changes in our daily habits!

4.   Green Audit Party Host a gathering where friends help each other assess their homes for energy, water, and waste improvements. Swap tips, LED bulbs, and habits! We did this in our offices of Arkearth and discovered dozens of ways to save energy and reuse items!  There are also online apps to help you calculate your carbon footprint.

🧃 Fun + Social

5.   Plant & Sip Event Host a laid-back gathering where people pot plants or start herb gardens while sipping drinks (boozy or not). You may even get a brewery or vineyard to help sponsor. Plus, you can use the artwork to sell for fundraising other environmental projects!

6.   Nature Art Jam Invite people to create art from found natural materials or recycled goods—leaves, sticks, bottle caps. Post them in public spaces for a pop-up Earth Day gallery. This can also become a great fundraising event – especially for schools, churches, and community gardens.

7.   Eco-themed Trivia Night Host a trivia session (online or in-person) with fun categories like “Wild Animal Facts,” “Eco-Inventions,” and “What’s Biodegradable?” Think Poetry Night, with a focus on environment and sustainability.

8.   “Green Elephant” Swap Party You've probably been to a white elephant gift exchange, and with the Green Elephant Exchange, everyone brings items which they no longer use—clothes, books, plants, etc.—to trade and repurpose. It’s a perfect way to reuse and recycle items and gather items from local businesses looking to donate or replace new equipment.

🌍 Community-Driven + Lasting Impact Ideas

9.   Crowdfund a Solar Panel or Tree Planting Project Rally your network to support a local nonprofit with a clear green initiative and track your collective impact. There are many online grants for ideas like this and can be a motivating factor to get donors to “match funding” with those sources. Local businesses may want to sponsor one of the projects as well! You never know until you ask!

10.  Start a Borrowing Library Launch a tool or book library in your neighborhood to reduce consumption and build community connections. From front yard tiny libraries to creating a section in a local school, church, or community library, this can also be combined with monthly book readings from authors on environmental and gardening topics.

11.  Host a Local Sustainability Tour Team up with local farms, green buildings, compost facilities, or eco businesses for an open house circuit or walking tour. These can also be combined with spring home tours which many communities already host. Feature a free pickup of electronic items to upcycle and even host a can drive along with the event.

12.  Write Earth-Loving Letters To local government asking for greener policy, to businesses encouraging sustainable practices, or to future generations—bury it in a time capsule, or better yet, use a non-toxic glue and attach seeds to the letters where people can take them home and plant the letter for a wildflower or herb garden!

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate this Earth Day, do it with friends, do it with fun, and do it with impact! Happy Earth Day 2025! Find your own Earth Day inspiration in our Arkearth Store that's packed with seeds, books, pollinator habitats, and solar fountains!