Earth Day Community Projects

Earth Day Projects

Do Your Part For Earth Day

There is cause and effect in everything we do. The resources you consume and energy you expend impact our air, water and soil for your entire lifetime. Take steps to improve our world by looking at how your habits affect the environment.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources conducts a big Earth Day celebration each April, but there are things you can do to keep the spirit of Earth Day alive during the entire year.

Earth Day Groceries Project
Teachers, would you like your students to share their concern about the environment, use their creativity and help educate the community? If so, they can join in the efforts of the Earth Day Groceries Project, a popular project that teams youths and grocers to spread the message of Earth Day. To particpate, teachers simply borrow paper grocery bags from a local grocery store. Students decorate the bags with environmental messages and artwork. The bags are then returned to the grocery store and distributed on Earth Day. Customers receive their groceries, along with the message that kids care about our envirionment, in the decorated bags.

The national project Web site contains everything you need to know to participate and provides free materials and resources. Participants are also able to submit reports about their projects, which will be posted on the Web site as part of the national record.

Pick up tires in your community
Groups are strongly encouraged to take collected tires to waste tire processors or end users for recycled or resource recovery. Tires can be landfilled, but only if they have been cut, chipped or shredded prior to disposal. Groups are encouraged to arrange for proper disposal of the tires before collecting them. Groups are encouraged to contact the appropriate department regional office for assistance in locating a place to deliver waste tires. Visit our Solid Waste Management Program for more information.

Global Re-leaf or Tree-mendous
Have a tree planting effort in your community. Get children to plant trees and flowers in the park. See if local businesses will improve their storefronts with plants.

Bay-nanza
Coordinate a water improvement cleanup effort. Clean up a nearby beach or stream. Pick up floatable debris and record the materials you find. Take water samples and have children find aquatic life in the area.

Clean up and green up
Conduct a trash pickup and seed and tree planting effort.

Bike to work
Organize a bike to work day. You get to enjoy the great outdoors and get some exercise. You also save energy by not using gasoline, and you don’t pollute the air with exhaust fumes.

Great balls of foil
Have children collect foil for recycling.

Environmental pledge tree
Have people sign an Earth Day pledge or put up a communal "pledge board" where people can write their environmental pledge for the year such as, "I will turn off the lights when I leave the room," or "I will turn off the water while shaving or brushing my teeth." To display the pledges, you can have people write their promises on cutout "leaves" placed on either a painted tree poster or onto a 3-D tree-like structure. Leaves also could be sold as a fund-raiser to donate to an environmental cause.

Parade for the planet
Let children decorate their bicycles with environmentally friendly materials and have a parade.

Resource conservation tips

Apply herbicides and pesticides properly. More is not always better.
Avoid products with excessive, unrecyclable packaging.
Compost your yard waste and vegetable scraps.
Find out what products are recycled locally and properly prepare them for collection or drop off.
Fix leaking faucets and toilets.
Install energy-efficient lighting in your home and at work.
Make a personal commitment to examine your lifestyle and its impact on the earth’s resources.
Properly dispose of waste oil and fluids from vehicles.
Purchase products made from recycled materials.
Run full loads of laundry.
Take an active interest in local issues related to pollution control.
Use phosphate-free detergent.
Use reusable containers to store food instead of wrapping food in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

There are many ways that communities can band together to support Earth Day during anytime of the year:

Have a Public Transit Day.
Conduct park cleanups by volunteer groups.
Have the transit agency establish a local car pool information bank.
Have the local water utility distribute information on the benefits of low-flow shower heads.