With social distancing guidelines still in place across the United States, Earth Day will look a little different this year.
While in-person community events are out of the picture for the most part, there are still many ways to celebrate Earth Day's 50th anniversary whether it is online, at home or in your neighborhood.
Online
Just because kids aren't at school, doesn't mean worldwide learning has to stop. Several groups are creating live streams to educate the public about Earth Day.
NASA has put together an online toolkit specifically for the 50th anniversary, featuring quizzes, videos, posters and much more. Kids and adults alike can even go on a "webquest' to see how NASA helps study the Earth and all its wonders.
"NASA Science Live" will also host a special show Wednesday featuring NASA experts discussing how NASA plays a big role in understanding and improving the earth. The show airs at 3 p.m. ET on NASA TV and YouTube.
NASA is also encouraging everyone to share how they marked the 50th anniversary this year by using the hashtag #EarthDayAtHome in social media posts.
On Wednesday, the Earth Day Network is planning a live digital event featuring stars, politicians and activists.
Celebrities including actor Zac Efron, former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore will take part in the 15-hour live stream from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
Earth Day Live will also be hosting a three-day live event starting Wednesday. This livestream is meant to educate an inspire individuals to make an environmental difference. Joining the stream will be Chelsea Handler, Joaqun Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo and Rachael Ray, just to name a few.
Seattle University will be hosting five-minute "Earth Talks" online Wednesday about environmental justice and sustainability research, featuring an interview with Earth Day co-founder Denis Hayes.
At home
There is nothing like a little bit of spring cleaning to spruce up your home. As you go through your closet, consider donating clothes you don't plan to use instead of throwing them away. Need to replace a light bulb? Consider replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFL or LED lights. This will not only help reduce energy consumed, but it could also reduce your electricity bill.
Check in with your community to see what you are able to recycle. If you don't want to pay for curbside recycling pick-up, many communities offer centralized recycling centers where paper, plastic and glass can all be recycled.
Instead of recycling paper, you can also limit your consumption by paying your bills online. Also, you can consider changing your printer's settings to print double-sided when you do decide to make a copy.
You can also create a simple compost at home. Using a container with a lid or trash bin, drill holes in the bottom to let the bin breathe. First, place "brown" items like grass, twigs, leaves or even coffee filters at the bottom before placing "green" items like egg, shells, fruits and vegetables on top. To keep animals away, place pet fur on top and avoid placing meat scraps in the bin. Place the cover on top to begin composting.
In your neighborhood
With more people taking advantage of local trails and walkways, now would be a great time to clean your neighborhood with gloves and a plastic bag to pick up garbage and to keep the space clean.
After cleaning the neighborhood, beautify it by planting flowers and trees, while practicing social distancing. You want to try and buy or plant seeds of in-season plants so they continue to grow in to the summer.