Joey and I absolutely love getting outdoors, biking/hiking/running/etc. I know you’ve heard it all before; if you’ve stayed up to date on the blog here! But with Earth Day coming up soon (Saturday, April 22nd) I thought I’d put together some ideas of how to properly celebrate and how we plan too 🙂

One of my favorite things so far about living in Orange County is how many hikes/bike trails/oceanic activities there are! There is so much to do outdoors, it amazes me- also the weather happens to be a lot better than that of the 110 degrees and 100% humidity weather we endured during all outdoor activities in Florida (always worth it though).

This week we ventured back to Dana Point to check out the Nature Interpretive Center. A free center full of information about the native plant and animal species, the Native Americans that once roamed the coast line, and the marine life that travels up and down the coast each year.  After leaving the center, you find yourself walking through the prettiest yellow flowers, thousands of feet above the water. It’s an absolutely breath-taking view; we also happened to see whales passing by!

The space is a conservation area-aimed at bringing back a variety of endangered plant and insect species. This is why the path is lined by wires and you’re constantly reminded by signs not to touch anything or stray from the path.

This year, to celebrate Earth Day we’re planning on doing a hike up the coast, followed by a BBQ on the beach, possibly with some paddle boarding in the mix! Read below for my best Earth Day celebration suggestions!

• Find your local Nature Conservation Center and check it out if you haven’t before. You’ll be able to learn some interesting things about the native species that you share the environment with.
• Volunteer! A lot of the time, on Earth Day, certain organizations will do a “Clean the Beach Day.” I used to do these all the time in High School, it ends up being a ton of fun and a nice way to help clean our planet!
• Hike! This is an easy one! Completely free and easy to do! Granted you don’t live in the snow.
• Yoga in the Park, some yoga studios will throw a free “Yoga in the Park” event. You can probably check with your local studios and see if they’ll be offering one! Get your girlfriends to go with and then you can brunch after!
• Garden/buy yourself some flowers! If you have a garden/backyard space, plant some new flowers! If you don’t, buy some fresh flowers for yourself to keep in the house!
• Have a picnic, the main idea of Earth Day is to get outside and enjoy all the things Mother Nature gives us. What better way than sitting on the grass enjoying the outdoors over lunch?
• Buy yourself an eco-friendly water bottle & use it! I’m so guilty of buying a ton of these and then forgetting I have them and then buying cases of water (plastic bottles) from Target or Costco. From this point forward I am vowing to only use my eco friendly bottle and refill it every time I run out of water!
• Donate! You can donate money to various organizations that are doing great things to help save our environment and animal species.

Hope these suggestions get you thinking about how you should celebrate this year!

For more ideas and a list of places you can donate to help various causes; go to http://www.earthday.org to see how you can get involved!

xoxo,

Amanda