Earth Day Ideas

Fun & Educational Projects for Earth Day

• See a list of planned Earth Day activities, clean ups, celebrations and presentations on our event calendar.
• Plan an Earth Day celebration and invite guest speakers.
• Do the Earth Day Coffee Jacket Project.
• Develop an environmental day at school.
• Learn how to recycle in your classroom and Cuyahoga County.
• Do a zero waste lunch day or week.
• Conserve resources day by reducing the use of water and energy. Turn off the lights when people are out of the room or on a sunny day.
• Carry a reusable water bottle.
• Organize a bike or walk-to-school day.
• Organize an anti-litter campaign for your community.
• Start an environmental club at your school.
• Feed a Tree. Encourage each classroom in your school (or science classes) to create a bucket or bag of compost. Use the compost created by the students in a special ceremony to plant trees, shrubs and other plants on the school property. Learn more about composting.
• Try vermicomposting. Build an in-classroom vessel for worms to help reduce food waste.
• Plant Bulbs: Each student plants a bulb around the school grounds. Each classroom or grade should have special section around the school. Add signs for recognition. Try to get the bulbs donated by a local business or organization.
• Speak out. Write your legislator asking your representatives to support environmental legislation. Tell companies to put their products in cans, bottles and boxes that can be recycled.
• Do a can-can. Raise money and recycle aluminum by holding a can drive. Fundraisers with recycling include ink cartridges, cell phones, paper and much more through TerraCycle.
• Participate in a paper recycling program for paper, phone books and cardboard. 
• Beautify your school. Maintain an adopt-a-spot for litter pickup or plantings around school and the neighborhood. Request bags and gloves from the Clean Up Cuyahoga program.
• Entertain others. Present an environmental play or puppet show to students in other grades.
• Go on a field trip to a nature center, landfill, recycling center, composting site or wastewater treatment plant.
• Monitor a stream near your school.
• Inventory the trees and plants in your school yard. Plant more.
• Hang "buy recycled" signs on items made from recycled materials or products that are recyclable.
• Conduct a waste audit at your school.
• Build blue bird, bat or butterfly boxes.
• Raise native fish and release in area ponds or rivers. Raise native plants and sell them.
• Create a rain garden at your school.
• Raise money and donate it to an environmental cause.
• Decorate a cloth shopping bag for parents to take with them when they go to the grocery store.
• Attend environmental festivals around the region.
• Visit a green store like Earth Fare, Nature's Bin, Whole Foods, Furry Nation or Revive.