Earth Day is a special day when we focus on our planet and how to take care of it. It started on April 22, 1970, and we celebrate it every year on the same date. On Earth Day, we do things like planting trees and cleaning up trash to show our love for the Earth. It’s important because it helps us remember to protect the environment and fight against climate change.
Looking back to history, a senator from Wisconsin started the first Earth Day celebration in 1970 to help people learn more about environmental issues. People organized gatherings all across the country. As a result, the American government created the Environmental Protection Agency later that year. By 1990, Earth Day celebrations had spread to more than 140 countries around the world.
Nowadays, many companies also recognize Earth Day and encourage their employees to join eco-friendly activities and fun events.
Corporate leaders should recognize the importance of Earth Day by organizing events at work. They can plan activities and announce new initiatives to help fight global warming.
In this blog, we have made a list of fun things you can do with your coworkers to celebrate Earth Day. These activities include both traditional and simple ideas. They will make your team excited about taking care of the environment, support sustainability, and improve teamwork in your company.
No matter if you prefer outdoor, virtual, or indoor activities, we have suggestions for all. So get ready to have a great time while honoring our planet. Let’s begin!
10 Fun Yet Inspiring Ideas To Celebrate Earth Day Week At Work
These Earth Day activities will inspire your team to be more conscious of the environment, promote sustainability, and enhance teamwork in your company. So get ready to appreciate our planet and enjoy it as we start.
1. Green commutation challenge
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, everyday vehicles on the road release a lot of greenhouse gases, which are harmful to the environment. These gases, like carbon dioxide, add to the problem of climate change worldwide.
As such, making your employees transport in an eco-friendly way could be a great initiative towards controlling air pollution, even if it’s 0.001%.
Give employees a whole week to find eco-friendly ways to get to work and back. They can choose options like biking, walking, using public transportation, or sharing rides with coworkers.
When possible, let employees work from home. You can also schedule their shifts at different times to avoid overcrowding on public transportation during busy periods.
On the occasion of Earth Day, offer reward programs to employees who commute less carbon-intensively. For instance, give discounts for using public transportation or joining bike-sharing programs. You can also set up a carpooling program within your company, which will motivate employees to travel together whenever possible.
2. Create a workplace recycling system
Recycling is a really good way to make your office have less of an impact on the environment. Trust us! it’s not hard to get started.
A simple way to do this is by setting up a recycling system in your office. You can begin by assigning separate bins for paper, plastic, metal, and glass.
After you have arranged your bins, spend a little time creating a simple guide for your coworkers that explains what can and cannot be recycled. You might be amazed to find out that many people are unaware of what items can be recycled and what cannot.
You can put up signs on the bins or send an email telling people what to do. Also, remember to include recycling when you clean your office every week. By doing these simple things, you can help the environment a lot.
3. Surprise your employees with a sustainable gift
How about sending a sustainable gift to all your employees? If you choose to implement this idea, you can find many unique eco-friendly products online that your employees will love. You can even get the gifts delivered right to your employees’ homes so you can celebrate Earth Day together, even if you’re apart.
4. Host a green fundraising event
You can come up with a plan to organize an event for a good cause, specifically to raise money for environmental issues. The money you collect from this event can be put towards various environmental projects and initiatives, such as:
- Financing conservation initiatives in your neighborhood.
- Offering scholarships for environmental studies
- Placing solar panels on private residences.
This type of gathering will help raise money for important causes and also raise awareness about why it’s important to protect our environment.
5. Reduce waste contest
You can have a fun Earth Day activity by asking your employees to try and use less trash. Let’s see who can think of the most creative ways to reuse, compost, and use less paper to reduce waste in the office.
Ask your HR to check everyone’s personal trash cans at the end of the week or month. The person with the least amount of trash wins.
You can offer a reward, like a free vegetarian or vegan meal or a gift card, to encourage people to participate. This Earth Day project will make everyone think about how to be more eco-friendly and save money at the office. So why not give it a shot? You might be amazed by the outcomes.
6. Invite a local environmentalist to guide on climate change
It’s unfortunate that people aren’t yet aware of climate change and how they could contribute to it. So, inviting a local environmentalist to your office and organizing a seminar could be a great way to educate and inspire your employees on climate change.
Depending on your schedule, the seminar could be an hour long or more. You could also include a plantation drive with the guidance of the guest.
7. Take a nature walk together
A fun and simple way to celebrate Earth Day at work is to turn your usual happy hour into a refreshing walk together with everyone on your team.
This is a fantastic way to breathe in some fresh air and stay active, but it’s also a chance to discover more about the nearby surroundings and find easy ways to make a positive impact.
If you’re not sure where to begin, reach out to a nearby group that cares about the environment or a station where park rangers work. They usually have maps and guides for walks in nature. And if you’re fortunate, they might even have someone who can teach you about the environment and guide your team.
8. Regular clean-up
Create a team of workers who will take care of a specific road and regularly clean it up. This is a great way to help the local community and the environment.
Organize a regular day to clean up a nearby park or river to keep the area clean and safe.
9. Practice e-waste management
Email is a common way people talk to each other for work, but it can also become messy and overwhelming.
As per the Washington Post, if we analyze all the emails a person sends in a year, it would create a carbon footprint equivalent to 300 pounds of carbon emissions. To put it in perspective, that’s like driving a basic car for about 200 miles. So, we need to reduce the number of emails we send at work.
On Earth Day, spend a little time organizing your email and helping the environment. Encourage your office colleagues to delete unnecessary old emails and unsubscribe from newsletters they don’t read.
Doing this will not only give you more room on your company’s email servers but also help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, it will make it simpler for you to locate important emails when you require them.
So, on this special day, take the resolution to clean up your email inbox and contribute to reducing the environmental effects of your workplace.
10. No Meat Week
When it comes to the environment and its conservation, we cannot miss the living being on this planet. Eating less meat is good for the environment because raising animals for food releases a lot of greenhouse gases. By cutting down on meat, you can help protect the planet. It’s also a chance to discover tasty new foods. So, ask your employees to go “vegetarian” for a week and not kill animals for meat or cook meat.
Bonus: Tree Plantation Drive
Now this is a must-have activity to celebrate Earth Day and we all know about it. Simply ask your employees to do a few plantations around the office and even at their homes. Plant as many plants as they can and contribute their share in making a greener Earth.
The Takeaway
There are many things you can do at work on Earth Day to show you care about the environment. This year, try some of these ideas and make a positive impact.
Remember, our planet needs our help every day, not just on Earth Day. To keep these efforts going throughout the year, you can create a group called the “green committee.” They can take the initiative further by conducting a yearly energy audit for the whole company to see if your actions are making a difference, and they can also suggest new ideas.
Ravi Ranjan 
Nandini R