What to do for Earth Day 2020
Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!
We’ve put together a special blog post this week for you because today is Earth Day and we want to celebrate it with you! This year marks 50 years since the environmental movement began in 1970, making it a special anniversary!
Earth day has a long history behind it, with the idea emerging from the lasting damage being done through oil spills, smog and polluted waterways by man-made means.
While at first it wasn’t widely recognized, it did lead to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passing of the first-ever environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act the same year it was founded.
Over the years, it continued to lead the path for many environmental actions including greater recycling efforts in the 1990s and is now globally celebrated by over 190 countries around the world. Without the creation of this very special day, who knows what the state of our Earth would be like.
Each Earth Day there is a newly emerging theme for the year. This year’s focus is on climate action and we want to share some easy things you can do right now to help contribute to this year’s Earth Day theme!
Choose Organic
When you choose organic you are opting out of the use of chemical pesticides on your food, which is not only a danger to the environment but your health as well. It depletes the soil nutrition needed for the fruit and vegetables to grow rich in vitamins and minerals.
It also produces pollution in the air, something that is already a huge concern due to other dangerous actions of our population today and – not to mention – is also a safety hazard to wildlife and the farmers that use pesticides on their crops.
While buying organic can be a little more expensive, we always have deals that are comparable to that of conventional produce. While we always encourage the consumption of organic produce, because of the benefits to both your body and the Earth, if you’re really on a budget, following EWG’s Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen is a great place to start when deciphering what’s necessary to buy organic and what doesn’t need to be.
For more information, visit their website: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/ Growing organic supports the goodness of growing more naturally.
Cut Out Plastic
This is another easy way of doing your part to help protect the environment! Depending on the type of plastic, some experts believe that it can take up to between 500-1000 years for it to break down – that’s longer than 5 to 10 generations of your family living on this planet.
The plastic doesn’t even decompose or biodegrade, it actually just breaks down into smaller pieces, so in reality, that plastic could be there for longer!
A few tips for switching over to plastic-free are using a reusable water bottle, purchasing stainless steel or silicone straws, use mason jars or glass containers for storing leftovers and lunch. Remember to always carry your groceries home in either a reusable bag you bring from home or our 100% compostable bags available at all our check-out lanes.
Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden
While this may not be ideal throughout the year, right now is a perfect time to start growing your own home garden! The best way to control what is being put on your produce is by growing it yourself. There is nothing more magical than witnessing the fruits of your labour (literally) grow right in front of your very own eyes. Start off with a few different types of easy seeds to grow like, carrots, kale, tomatoes, green onions and raspberries. Growing up I remember having a raspberry bush in my backyard and one of my favourite things to do was go out and pick them with my brother and enjoy the tasty treats grown right at home! These bushes are also perennials and if cared for properly, will grow year after year!
In addition to these three easy steps you can take to help contribute to climate action, here are a few fun food activities you can create at home to celebrate Earth Day and the magical Earth on which we live!
Earth Day Activities for Kids
This first activity is one that your little ones will not only enjoy creating but also eating as well (that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it also).
These Earth Day Dirt Cups are easy to create with a few basic ingredients and a way to hide avocado in a tasty dessert – your kids will never know it’s there!
Earth Day Dirt Cups
Ingredients
Chocolate Avocado Puddling (Base)
- 2 medium organic bananas peeled and chopped
- 1 medium organic avocado pitted
- 3 tbsp Organic Traditions Cacao Powder or to taste
- 1 ½ tbsp Nature's Emporium Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp Silk Coconut Milk or milk of choice
- 1 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
- Lumiere de Sel Fine Pink Himalayan Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp smooth nut or seed butter optional, for added flavour
Dirt Crumble & Gummy Worms (Topping)
- 10 Glutino Chocolate Creme Cookies
- 10 Surf Sweets Gummy Worms cut in half
Instructions
- Prepare the "dirt" crumble by blending the 5 cookies in the food processor until you get a crumble consistency and set aside.
- Using the food processor, add bananas, avocados, raw cacao, maple syrup, vanilla, 1 tbsp of coconut milk and salt and blend until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.Add nut butter at this time, if you are adding it to the recipe.
- Add the additional milk depending on how thick you prefer the pudding to be. To get a super smooth consistency, run the food processor for a couple extra minutes.
- Portion the pudding into the small containers you're using. You can also use the ceramic mini planting pots for an even nicer effect!
- Place the crumble on top of the pudding. Cut the worms in half and place them into the crumb topping and hanging off the side of the container used.
- You can serve it right away but best to chill them in the fridge for an hour or so. If chilling, add the crumbs and worms prior to serving.
Notes
Earth Day Coconut Yogurt Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
For the "Water"
- 1 ½ organic bananas sliced and frozen
- ¾ tsp E3Live Blue Majik Powder
- ⅔ cup Silk Coconut Milk or milk of choice
- 1 scoop CanPrev Collagen Full Spectrum or your favourite collagen powder
- 2 cups Silk Coconut Yogurt
For the "Earth" or "Continents"
- 2 tbsp Manitoba Hemp Hearts
- 1 tbsp Mike & Mike's Pumpkin Seeds blended into a crumble
Instructions
- In a compact blender (like a Magic Bullet), blend the pumpkin seeds into a crumble and set aside in a bowl. Add the hemp seeds to mix.
- In two separate serving bowls, pour one cup of the coconut yogurt in each bowl and set aside.
- In a vitamix or high powered blender, blend bananas, Blue majik, collagen and milk until smooth.
- Take half the recipe of the blue smoothie and swirl it into the coconut yogurt to make the water for the earth.
- Using the hemp and pumpkin seed mixture, draw the continents and enjoy!
Now that we’ve given you some actionable ways you can acknowledge and honour Earth Day, as well as some recipes to enjoy some delicious food, we hope you take pride in taking part in this very special day! Cheers to another 50 years of celebrating this beautiful planet that we live on and here’s to hoping we continue to band together for more changes to better the state of our environment, in those years to come!