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An Extra Special Earth Day

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day celebration in the U.S. Here are a few ways you can honor Mother Earth from the safety of your home.

San Antonio (and the world) is united in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. So it’s only fitting that we unite in observance of Earth Day, April 22.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the celebration in the United States. And like many events here and across the country, Earth Day gatherings were canceled due to public health concerns and safety. But thanks to techonology, we can still celebrate digitally. More importantly, we can mark this momentous occasion from the safety of our homes!

If you’ve always wanted to adopt more green habits, but couldn’t find the time or motivation to do it — these extra hours at home just may be the perfect opportunity.

Here’s a few simple ways to start your journey to sustainable living.

Reduce:

Recycle:

  • The City of San Antonio provides receptacles for recyclable items (metal, glass, clean paper and plastic) and organic waste (leaves, grass clippings, twigs, non-protein food scraps).
  • Composting is an easy way to reduce the amount of home waste. Watch this hot composting video to learn how to get started.

Reuse/repurpose:

  • Before immediately tossing an item into the recycle bin, consider how it can be used for a different purpose. Empty glass beverage bottles inserted upside down in the ground make excellent garden bed borders. Large cans or glass pickle jars sunk upright into the ground and filled with a little beer or molasses make for effective slug and snail control. Empty glass jars are also the perfect catch-all for grease!

Earth Day serves as a great reminder that we only have one home. Let’s take care of it — for ourselves and for future generations.

Picture of Mark Peterson
Mark Peterson
Mark A. Peterson was a conservation project coordinator for San Antonio Water System before retiring. With over 30 years of experience as an urban forester and arborist, Mark is probably the only person you know who actually prunes trees for fun. When not expounding on the benefits of trees and limited lawns, you're likely to find him hiking San Antonio's wilderness parks or expounding on the virtues of geography and history to his friends.
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