Every April 22 people across the United States and around the world participate in activities that give back to the environment or celebrate Earth. Earth Day started in 1970, and has grown significantly in 46 years.

Get ready to reduce, reuse and recycle, because Earth Day is here. Being environmentally conscious isn’t just for activists, and Earth Day is a great time to start thinking about ways that everyone can get involved in helping the planet.

Ways to participate include:

Join Earth Day Network in our effort to plant more trees. Organize a team to plant trees in your neighborhood or donate to The Canopy Project.

Urge your local elected officials to make a substantial tree planting commitment by starting a letter-writing campaign or online petition.

Urge businesses to make a substantial tree planting commitment by starting a letter-writing campaign or online petition.

Lead a recycling drive to collect as much plastic, metal, and glass as possible.

Pick up trash at a local park or beach.

Invite an expert, such as a professor or a forester, to educate your community about climate change, the importance of trees, and about how to reduce your carbon footprint.

Set up a screening of an environmentally-themed movie. Consider supplementing the screening with a speaker who can lead a Q&A following the film.

Create an eco-fair with local green businesses and environmental organizations. Not only will this inform the public of ways they can get involved, but it’s also a fun way to promote local businesses and bring your community together.

Visit: http://www.earthday.org/ for more information on Earth Day