(Portland, Maine) – What started out as a U.S. recognized “holiday” is now being celebrated in approximately 175 countries around the world. While traditions run the gamut focusing on reducing, reusing and recycling, this 40th anniversary of Earth Day is call for celebration. With increased awareness of our environment and conservation efforts at an all time high, conscientious families and citizens can now look to Maine’s SunriseGuide as the central resource for Earth Day events and ideas to celebrate.
“Earth Day is our holiday, an opportunity to do more for our planet and our community. As a relatively young holiday, we’re starting to see traditions beginning to form with annual events and clean-ups; and I’d love to see more emerging,” said Heather Chandler, president and founder of The SunriseGuide.
“Holiday traditions root us in the meaning of the day and provide a way for us to celebrate. Mainers take Earth Day seriously and we’ve identified numerous activities around the state where people can get involved and celebrate together, like the Scarborough Marsh Earth Day Clean Up, Wells Reserve Earth Day Celebration and the week-long celebrations at Frontier Café & Cinema in Brunswick. Our website has a comprehensive list of local events, as well as the history of earth day and tips for celebrating. In addition, we are excited to launch a new Earth Day Scavenger Hunt to get friends and family outside and explore their communities.”
“We plan to start a tradition of planting something every year on Earth Day with our son, something that we can watch grow together,” said Robin Tannenbaum, a Westbrook resident and architectural designer who has a 1-year-old son. “My son loves the dirt and being outside. My husband is a landscape architect and loves the natural world. It seems only fitting that our family traditions reflect that too.”
Below is a sampling of ideas for starting your own Earth Day traditions.
Around the House
- Lights out and electronics free for the day
- Craft projects with recycled materials—cards, puzzles, magazine pages, etc. The recycle bin is a great source of materials for this.
- Start a garden or work in your garden, build a raised bed. Learn about and plant some native plants – visit the University of Maine’s resource link.
- Break bread with friends and neighbors showcasing local dishes where most ingredients used are grown or produced right here in Maine.
- Spring clean and donate clothes, recycle the rest (FreeCycle.org as a way to give away anything, the Habitat ReStore in Portland or Bath for furniture and building materials, and Goodwill for computer equipment. They take it free of charge.)
Around the Community
- Commute to work on bike or explore your local neighborhoods on bike with your kids.
- Explore your local public lands and take a hike with family or friends, check out www.healthymainewalks.com for ideas.
- Trail clean up – contact your local land trust or trails organization to volunteer for a cleanup project, i.e. Portland Trails, Maine Island Trails, South Portland Land Trust.
- Team up with your local school or child care center to start a community children’s garden.
- Host an Earth Day scavenger / nature hunt for kids of all ages (visit www.thesunriseguide.com/earthday for ideas on what to hunt).
Recognized on April 22 each year, Earth Day is a celebration of the environment designed to inspire awareness and concern for our planet. The tradition began in 1970 when U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced his idea for a nationwide teach-in day on the environment. It is widely seen as a kind of birthday for the modern environmental movement.
The SunriseGuide is an annual resource guide and coupon book for living green in southern Maine. It contains more than 165 coupons for healthy and eco-friendly products and services, plus articles with tips for healthy and sustainable living. Topics include food and dining, outdoor living, home and garden, travel and transportation, community and culture, and more. Look for the 2010 edition at school and community fundraisers, natural food stores, bookstores, and other retail outlets. Learn more and find out where to pick up a copy at www.thesunriseguide.com.
