EARTH DAY!! One of my favorite celebrations! 3 ways you can help relieve the burden we've placed on the Earth!

Every time you turn around, there's a new holiday popping up like National Compliment Day celebrated on January 24th or International Dot Day celebrated on September 15th.

But who doesn't LOVE a reason to celebrate? I sure do!!

And one of those grand times for me is EARTH DAY!! I've been celebrating Earth Day since I was about 7 years old and each year, I execute some action, whether big or small, to contribute to protecting the planet.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 each year. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. Additionally, many people also celebrate EARTH WEEK and plan activities throughout the entire week to celebrate nature and our beloved planet. To find out more about Earth Day celebrations in your area, you can check out EarthDay.org.

Here are 3 ways that you can help the planet on this upcoming Earth Day!!

1.) Plant a garden

It doesn't matter how big are small, there are tons of benefits to gardening. Gardening has been proven to relieve stress, provide mental clarity an improve mental health, increase self esteem and my personal favorite, provide a good workout. Gardening also provides you with the opportunity to feed your family, friends, and loved ones with nutritious and delicious edibles that they will enjoy and remember. There's a great satisfaction and enjoyment that comes while sitting back with a glass of ice cold lemonade once your gardening project is finished, knowing that you've planted seeds that will (hopefully) yield a harvest. Some of my favorite plantings to enjoy with my 7 year old include these Bloomin Seed Butterfly Paper Shapes. They are fun, easy to plant and produce such beautiful blooms in no time!! "Of The Earth" has some nice Seed Embedded Larkspur Handmade Paper Tags also that can be used as gift tags or just a little something to write a special note to a friend! Also, keep a look out on the blog as we are getting ready to build a few planter beds in the next couple of weeks.

2.) Join a coastal clean up in your area

One of the biggest organizations, and my personal favorite, to host coastal cleanups is The Ocean Conservancy. I am in love with going to the beach and enjoying one of our planets greatest treasures, our oceans. I've have been supporting the Ocean Conservancy since college and they do some amazing work in the world of preserving our planets oceans. My absolute favorite project that they organize is the International Coastal Cleanup which has been happening for the last 30 years. This year, it is being help on September 15th at a coast near you. Although this date is not during the actual Earth Day celebration that we recognize in April, there are several smaller coastal cleanups that happen on or around Earth Day. To get involved, contact The Ocean Conservancy through their website, oceanconservancy.org

3.) Use nature friendly products in your household.

Although I am ashamed to say that it took me far too long to start buying eco-friendly household cleaning product, I am happy to report that everyone in my household is now being more conscience about what we use for cleaning and refreshing. At first, I was kind of clueless as to what the difference would be in buying more eco-friendly products but after a little research, I realized that there were some areas that I could make improvements in my product choices. Earth Day would be the perfect time to make a better commitment to purchasing these types of products, if they fit your families needs. I mean, who doesn't want to live in a toxic free home? Or at least, as close as possible.

Eco-friendly products typically include things like biodegradable packaging, chlorine-free, nonallergenic, phosphate-free, recycled plastic, and plant-based from sustainable farms. Amazon is having an great sale to celebrate Earth Day this month. Some of my favorites are listed below!! You can check out these brands by tapping on the links.

• Seventh Generation
• Rebel Green
• JAWS (Just Add Water System)
• ECOS
• Green Works

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate Earth Day?

Hit me in the comments below and lets inspire one another on how we can all get involved with protecting, saving, and nurturing the planet where we all reside!!

Happy Earth Day!! And wherever you are, in your corner of the world, continue to be a blessing to someone else and show yourself more love than ever before!!

XOXOXO,

Tameka