Responsibly social distancing yourself from others during the coronavirus pandemic can leave some people feeling a bit bewildered. If you are staying home and find yourself with unplanned free time, it’s a wonderful opportunity to direct your attention to planet-friendly activities.
Watch informative and entertaining videos. Sign online petitions. Whip up scrumptious plant-based recipes. Or try some upcycling projects — perhaps upcycling kitchen scraps into fresh plants. Here are a few ideas to help you make good use of your time while you’re staying home.
Work in Your Garden
Whether planting food for yourself or providing valuable resources for wildlife, efforts devoted to enhancing your outdoor spaces are well worthwhile.
Want to attract birds, bees, and pollinators?
- Native plant database from Audubon for bird-friendly habitat
- Easy DIY Bird Baths: Refreshing for Wildlife & Entertaining for You
- Enhance Your Garden With Bee-utiful Bee Houses
- Pollinate Success: 5 Tips for Planting a Bee-Friendly Garden
- Native Plants: the Key to Eco-Friendly Gardening
Thinking about growing your own food? Here are a few ideas for inspiration:
- For an upcycling approach to producing your own edible plants, read Q&A With Author: ‘No-Waste Kitchen Gardening’. The author discusses sprouting plants from pineapple tops, seeds, and lettuce.
- Eat Your Vegetables! A Vegetable Garden Growing Guide
- Gardening Tips: How To Get Kids Involved
- 7 Seed-Starting Tips for Smarter Indoor Gardening
- Tight on Space? How To Use Vertical Gardening in Small Spaces
Write Emails, Sign Petitions, & Read Informative Newsletters
From home, peruse the wealth of environmental advocacy organizations working on issues that are important to you. Many feature online petitions and email suggestions related to specific issues.
- Sign up for newsletters from your favorite environmental advocacy organizations.
- Use your keyboard to share opinions on issues you feel are vital to protecting the planet. Write emails to lawmakers and business executives. Express appreciation for eco-friendly endeavors you applaud. Protest practices you disagree with.
Examples of the wide array of organizations focusing on planet-protection issues include:
If you are able, consider donating to your favorite nonprofit organizations, such as those continuing to fight climate change during the pandemic.
Upcycle & Repurpose
You’re feeling artsy. Or you want to accomplish a home improvement project. Look around your house. Perhaps the supplies you need are stored in your attic. Or your junk drawer. Or your recycling bin.
For example, make your own solar oven with instructions from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The design employs household items, including plastic milk container, aluminum foil, and wire hangers.
Have old T-shirts, shoe boxes, hangers, aluminum cans and other items you’d like to upcycle? Check out these resources for inspiration:
- 11 Ways To Upcycle a T-Shirt
- 12 Ways To Upcycle Shoe Boxes
- Creative Repurposing of Gift Cards, Credit Cards, & Rewards Cards
- 14 Smart Ways to Repurpose Food Packaging
- Brilliant Ways to Repurpose Hangers
- Repurpose It: 15 Upcycled Crafts That Honor the Earth
- 10 Ways to Reuse Aluminum Cans
At Recycleart, you can sign up for free upcycling tutorials or upload your own upcycling guide to share. They also offer items for purchase that are made with upcycled materials.
Widen Your Repertoire of Plant-based Recipes
If you’re at home, you’re probably spending extra time in the kitchen. It’s an ideal opportunity to try some scrumptious vegan dishes.
- Vegan Recipes With Plant-based Substitutions for Eggs & Dairy
- Creative Chefs Dish Out Five Vegan Mac & ‘Cheese’ Recipes
- Yum! Whip Up Scrumptious & Easy Vegan Desserts in a Snap
- Easy Vegan Protein Snacks
- Vegan Society offers 20 amazing uses for aquafaba, which is leftover water from canned legumes
Interested in culinary training? Check out Rouxbe online courses.
Fun, Education, & Entertainment
Ready for some learning and personal enrichment? Or perhaps you need to take a break and relax. Here are some great resources.
- U.S. National Parks via 360-degree virtual tours
- TedEd offers an online platform with videos featuring students and educators from around the world on topics that include environment, climate change, and nature
- World Wildlife Fund videos
- Green Websites and Online Games for Kids
- Family Movies for Earth Day and Every Day
Are you staying home and social distancing?