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  • Home
  • ECOLITERACY PROGRAMS
    • OVERVIEW
    • Climate Action
    • Waste Diversion
    • Watershed Protection
    • Outdoor Education
  • Partnerships
    • Industry
    • Community
  • About Us
    • Job Opportunities
  • Earth Day Resources

Earth Month


April 1: Don't Flush Those Wipes

Wipes are not flushable - even when the packaging says so. Wipes do not break down and can clog city sewer pipes. This can cost lots of money and create even worse problems if the pipes burst. The only paper product that should be flushed is toilet paper. 

Keep wipes of all kinds out of the toilet. 
At Home Flushable Wipes Activity

April 2: Keep Your Engines Off

Even though you may not be driving too much right now, things will go back to normal. Keep in mind when we are back to our old routine, idling cars unnecessarily pollutes the environment. It is especially harmful to young bodies. Please remember this when picking your child up at school and turn your engine off in the pick-up line. 

Do not idle your engine at school or anywhere. 
Student PSA about Idling

April 3: Stormwater Sunday

When it rains, all the dirt on your car, including toxic brake dust, washes down the storm drain and out to the ocean. Keeping your vehicle clean is important, but washing your car in your driveway also washes all of those pollutants down the drain. 

Keep your car clean by bringing it to a carwash instead of washing it on your driveway. 
At Home Stormwater Activity

April 4: Combine Your Errands

Think about the errands you need to run on the weekend. Try to combine as many as you can in one trip so you do not have to drive more. You'll save gas, money and time. 

Try to make less trips when running errands.
Trip Planner Tool

April 5: Make it Meatless

It is estimated if every American went meatless for just one day we would save 100 billion gallons of water and  reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2 million tons

Consider going meatless one day a week or one day every month. 
Click Here For More Information

April 6: Take on Paper Towels

Americans use 13 billion pounds of paper towels every year. Most paper towels are not recycled or composted and are destined for the landfill. 

Make the jump toward reusable towels. 
Recycle Old Towels or Buy These

April 7: Zero in on Zero Waste

Plastic debris is responsible for the deaths of over one million seabirds and more than 100,000 marine mammals every year.

Practice packing a waste free lunch during our time at home so when we return to school you will have it nailed! Ask your kids if they want to make a video about it. Send it to Kathy@bckprograms.com
Sample Waste Free Lunch Video

April 8: Trash Your Mask

Sadly face masks will be around for a while. OceanAsia estimated that 1.56 million face masks ended up as ocean pollution in 2020. 

If you choose a disposable mask to stay safe, make a point to throw it in the trash when you are done with it. Also, consider a double-layered reusable mask for those trips out.
Check out what Surfrider has to say about masks

April 9: Sustainable Saturday

Working as a team can increase the likelihood that your family will make a meaningful behavior change toward sustainability. 

Make a family pledge to reduce pollution. Write down five things you plan to change. Hang it on your refrigerator.
Sample Family Pledge

April 10: Stormwater Sunday

EUSD students study stormwater pollution every year. They learn everything on the streets washes into the storm drain when it rains and reaches the ocean unfiltered. Pet waste, trash and motor oil all create problems in our waterways. 

You can help out by keeping your car maintained, cleaning up after your pet and by picking up litter whenever you see it.
Complete this Checklist

April 11: Simple Composting

Globally, 40% of food produced is thrown away and sent to the landfill. There it decomposes without oxygen (anaerobically) and creates methane gas which ends up in our atmosphere.

Try your hand at placing at least your fruit and veggies in the compost bin.


April 12: Plant Natives

Landscaping your yard with native plants mean using less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. This will improve water quality and decrease the need for gas-powered lawn mowers. 

Try to plant a few water-saving succulents in your yard. 
Easy Succulent Activity

April 13: Can the Grease

Pouring hot cooking grease down the drain can cause great harm to the city's sewer pipes. When hot grease hits the drain, it cools and becomes a solid, sticking to the sides of the sewer pipes. The build-up catches other items that end up in the sewer system (like wipes) and can create large clogs and damage the pipes. Do not pour cooking grease down the drain. 

Keep an empty tin can in the refrigerator to store hot cooking grease. When it is full, throw it out in the trash. How can you share this information?
Sample Student Project

April 14: Flush Efficiently

Water is the most important resource in the world. 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water but less than 1% of it can be used in our homes for drinking, bathing, cooking, flushing toilets and watering our lawns.

A leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day. Conduct a leaky toilet audit in your house. 
At Home Toilet Audit Activity

April 15: Eliminate Junk Mail

According to the Ocean Futures Society, more than 100 million trees are destroyed and 28 billion gallons of water are used every year to put junk mail in your mailbox. You can recycle some of it or compost it but did you know you can also stop it from coming all together.  You can start by calling  1-888-5-OPT-OUT to stop receiving prescreened credit card invitations. 

Sign up to stop junk mail and spread the word.
More Ways to Reduce Junk Mail

April 16: Sustainable Saturday

Sometimes explaining to little ones why we should change our behavior to protect the planet is difficult. SInce we are stuck inside for a bit longer, it's the perfect time to read a book or watch a family movie that helps illustrate the need to be better stewards of the environment.  
Click here for a comprehensive list of environmental movies

April 17: Stormwater Sunday

Small particle waste is harmful to birds and marine wildlife. If left on the street, a rainstorm or even overspray from sprinklers in the neighborhood can wash it down to the ocean. 

Be careful not to overlook small bits of trash like bottle caps and the corners of chip bags or wrappers.
All the Way to The Ocean video story

April 18: Start a Worm Bin

Composting reduces landfill waste by recycling food scraps into enriched nutrients for soil. When applied to the garden or landscape, it not only helps plants grow organically with high nutritional value and retains soil moisture, but it also sequesters excess carbon from the atmosphere!

If you don't have space in your yard to start a compost pile, try making your own worm bin at home.
make a worm bin

April 19: Use This not That

2020 is the year we switch up the way we do EVERYTHING! Why not look into making some sustainable product switches while we are already adjusting to a "new normal".  

Make one or two simple product switches. 

Earth Friendly Products
earth friendly products

April 20: Shorten Your Shower

Maybe one of the easiest things you can do to help the planet is to shave 3 minutes off your shower time. The average shower uses about 5 gallons of water per minute and lasts at least 10 minutes. By shortening your shower by three minutes, you can save 15 gallons of water every day, even more if everyone in your family does it too.  

Set a timer for 7 minutes when you shower. ​
shorten your shower activity

April 21: Reduce Your Footprint

Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. To celebrate, see if your family can go through the day leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible. Keep the lights off, try to conserve water, and see if you can keep your waste to an all-time low. 
at home carbon footprint lesson

April 22: Change your Printer Settings

As many as 24 trees are required to make one ton of paper. U.S. businesses now use about 21 million tons of paper every year. That’s about 175 pounds of paper for each person in the U.S.

Set your printer to default to printing two sided and use recycled printer paper.
more green printing tips

April 23: Ditch the Fabric Softener

If you haven't seen them yet, dryer balls are the natural way to soften clothes and reduce static cling. Rather than using chemical laden in-wash liquid softeners or heat-activated dryer sheets, wool dryer balls do the same job and can be reused over and over again.  

Stop buying fabric soften and dryer sheets. 
super easy dryer ball dyi

April 24: Stormwater Sunday

You don't have to be part of a planned beach cleanup day to keep litter from entering the ocean. You can make it a family routine each week. 

Go for a family walk and pick up litter using a trash grabber, gloves or a plastic baggie. 

At Home Litter Scavenger Hunt
at home litter scavenger hunt

April 25: Be an Energy Hero

Every year on the last Saturday of March, there is a global effort to reduce energy by asking everyone to turn off their lights at the same time for one hour. It's called Earth Hour. The goal is to bring attention to energy conservation. Let's continue this good work by making sure we keep lights off when not in use.  

Keep lights out during the daytime when not needed.
At home energy activity

April 26: Collect Rainwater

Even though we don't get as much rain as other states, California does get some precipitation. And, our coastal location allows for a thick marine layer during May and June. The bottom line is that we can harvest rain and morning moisture. Installing a cistern and using it to water an otherwise dry garden bed makes perfect sense. 

Visit this site to learn how to install a rain catchment system.

Make a Rain Gauge
Visit this site to learn how to install a rain catchment system.
make a rain gauge

April 27: Zero Waste Shopping

A depressing statistic circulating today is that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. So much of that plastic comes from food packaging. After a relatively easy switch to reusable grocery bags, the next frontier in sustainable shopping is to buy in bulk using your own containers. 

Bring glass jars, cloth produce bags and recycled containers with you to stores like Jimbo's, Lazy Acres and Sprouts to minimize the plastic you bring home.
best tips for zero waste shopping

April 28: Walk to School Time Trial

With schools back in session, make a plan to walk to school at least one day a week.  Starting the day with a brisk walk leads to better focus in the classroom.  

Plan a trial run on a weekend or after school.  Write down how long it takes you to walk or bike to school.  Let your neighbors know you will be walking to school and invite them to join. 
sample walk on wednesday event

April 29: Natural Fertilizer

Worm castings are a wonderful natural fertilizer. They retain moisture in the soil, add key nutrients to keep plants healthy and help balance pH. In addition, worm castings will reduce the need for harmful pesticides.  

Buy worm castings instead of synthetic fertilizers or learn how to make your own. 

Vermicompost Bin
Vermicompost bin

April 30: Ramp up your Recycling

When you recycle, you help save energy and resources and reduce pollution. Recycling 1 ton of paper can save 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,000 kilowatts of electricity. The energy that you save can power 1 home for 5 months. The average family uses 6 trees worth of paper each year.

Conduct an at home audit to see how you can better recycle.
At home recycling activity

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