❌ What’s cancelled: A lot of things.

✅ What’s not cancelled: The Earth.

In honor of Earth Day’s 50th birthday today (She doesn’t look a day over 45, if you ask us. 🎂), we rounded up a few local ways to help us all show a little extra love in these uncertain times to our favorite planet today and every day.

Virtually giving the earth a hug like. | GIF via GIPHY

How to celebrate

○ Shop Northside Neighborhood House Thrift Store’s new arrivals on Facebook for boutique thrift, second-hand clothing + household items to limit textile waste + to create a culture of recycling. 🛍️

○ You can’t go to Rock City right now, but you can still participate in their annual EarthDayz event online. Check out their Facebook + Instagram daily for videos of their birds of prey + Earth Day projects you can enjoy from home.

○ Attend this virtual lunch + learn starting at 11:45 a.m. put on by GreenSpaces, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to regional sustainability.

○ Connect with Green Steps Chattanooga to help pick up litter and keep our city beautiful. Check out the amazing work they did on East Brainerd to aid in disaster relief.

○ Brush up on your knowledge of planet earth with resources from the Chattanooga Public Library. Their featured books are Earth themed and they have virtual experiences happening all week — you can find those here. 📚

○ Take the Earth Challenge 2020 + make Bill Nye the Science Guy (Bill, Bill, Bill) proud by documenting the environmental changes that happen in Chattanooga.

○ Eat farm-to-fork by ordering local produce — learn more about how to do that here.

○ Strengthen your green thumb + grow your own food + herbs by shopping Crabtree Farm’s online plant sale. Don’t wait too long — it’s almost over. 🌱

○ While plastic bags are still alive + well in Tennessee after the state passed a ban on plastic use bans, make sure to bring your reusable bags when you go to the store. Keep in mind that some stores aren’t allowing outside bags during the pandemic, and if they are, read about how to use them safely here.

○ Adopt a highway and pick up trash through the Tennessee Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway program.

○ Tune in to the Tennessee Aquarium’s Facebook Live event at 1 p.m. featuring Dr. Josh Ennen, one of the scientists at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. He’ll be talking about the conservation work they’re doing with turtles, as well as other conservation projects still happening despite the pandemic. Parents, it’s also a great day to check out the “Weekday Wonders” educational program.

○ Adopt a vegan lifestyle for a day (or longer) — order a meal from Sluggo’s or Willow St. Deli (open Thursday-Sunday) — we miss you, Cashew — and cook with veggies + grains to save 600 gallons of water. Yeah, you can save that much water from just one day of eating a plant-based diet.

○ Save the earth, energy + lower your electric bill by checking out EPB’s energy efficiency resources.

○ Just simply take a walk and appreciate nature. Happy Earth Day, Nooga. 🌎

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