Today is the 35th anniversary of Earth Day in Canada (45th worldwide). It’s the day in which we celebrate our environment and raise awareness about environmental issues. According to Earth Day Canada, more than 6 million Canadians will be celebrating today. This also marks the launch of Earth Day Every Day – the launch of a mobile web platform to help Canadians reduce their carbon footprint by 20 per cent in time for 2020, to meet global emission goals. A climate change summit is scheduled for late-2015 in Paris, so it’s a great time to celebrate mindfulness and raise awareness of environmental issues.
Here are ten ways to make environmentally sound choices while celebrating Earth Day:
1. Celebrate with Green Calgary
Head to the Central Library’s John Dutton Theatre to celebrate the day with Green Calgary. There will be a reception with local vendors providing refreshments and a raffle featuring prizes from Alpine Air Adventures, Ox & Angela, and Patagonia. The reception will be followed by the organization’s Annual General Meeting, and a screening of director Rob Stewart’s latest film, Revolution – an award-winning environmental documentary.
2. Get your groceries at Community Natural Foods
Bring your own reusable mug when you stop by Community for a free coffee and cookie. The store has a ton of deals and special offers to celebrate the day, and will also be hosting contests, prize draws, and daily demos.
3. Listen to some “recycled” music
The CBC recently held a contest called Green Tracks to celebrate the fact that Albertans recycled over two billion beverage containers last year. Three Alberta bands – The Dudes, Woodpigeon, and Reuben in the Dark – competed to create instruments out of recycled containers, with the winning prize money going to their chosen charities. You can listen to the results on the CBC’s website.
4. Get clean with Cedar and Sparrow
Cedar and Sparrow is a local company started by two moms that sells eco-friendly, recyclable, and plant-based cosmetic and bath products. Personal care products are often rife with harmful ingredients for the environment from microbeads to triclosan. These products are free from the so-called “dirty dozen” of problematic ingredients often found in Canadian personal care items.
5. Wear your Earth Day pride on your chest
Local t-shirt company Frontier Metropolis has released a new shirt celebrating Earth Day, with Calgary’s coordinates printed on a graphic of the globe. You can pick it up from their online store.
6. Grow your garden
“Sea of Red” seeds are a great way for you to celebrate your Calgary Flames playoff pride, while kickstarting your vegetable garden. The seed package, which features red cutting lettuce seeds, is available for 20 per cent off from Crop YYC today.
7. Reduce your “fork-print”
Choose a LEAF certified restaurant for your lunch or dinner today. LEAF certification promotes restaurants that are working at increasing environmental sustainability in the food services industry, promoting “farm to table” concepts, and targeting energy, water, and waste reduction. You can view a list of Alberta LEAF certified restaurants here.
8. and 9. Clean up your commute
Both Carpool.ca and Power in Motion will be at Suncor Energy Plaza today offering information on reducing your commute’s emissions. Power in Motion will be showcasing their fat bikes, folding bikes, and electric bikes, while Carpool.ca is offering info on their service as well as a free gift for those that mention their Twitter account.
10. Unwind after all of your enivronmental efforts with some eco-friendly wine
Chile’s Emiliana Organic Vineyard has released two wines with limited-edition Earth Day packaging for the month of April. Fifty cents from each bottle of the Adobe Merlot and Adobe Sauvignon Blanc varietals sold within the Canadian market will go towards the Environmental Network of Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. The vineyard also has a commitment to social responsibility and sustainability.