Earth Day is an annual celebration dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues and honoring our planet. This holiday is a great opportunity to reflect on your chapter’s environmental impact and implement eco-friendly practices. Not only can this boost member enjoyment and attract potential new members, but it can amplify what your chapter is already doing to elevate the influence of women and its care for the world.
Below are some free or low-cost ways to celebrate Earth Day with your chapter:
Raise awareness. Eco-friendly events can be integrated seamlessly with various areas of chapter operations to raise awareness about important environmental issues. An educational nature walk, creating wildflower seed bombs or upcycling clothes all provide hands-on learning while promoting sustainability. A guest speaker or workshop also offers a deep dive into topics your members are interested in, empowering them to take action. These events can even make great core value programs.
Adopt eco-friendly habits. Sustainable practices can be easily implemented into your chapter’s regular activities to reduce its environmental impact. Collecting recyclables or food scraps from events for proper disposal and switching from single-use plastics to reusable alternatives are simple changes. If your chapter is housed, try shutting the blinds at night to reduce light pollution, putting out pollinator-friendly plants or providing recycling and compost bins to promote a more eco-conscious chapter.
Uplift your local environment. By focusing on your immediate surroundings, your chapter can highlight local environmental issues, build stronger community relationships and enhance your campus image. Activities like an event in your local state park, picking up trash on campus or providing members resources on local issues all aid in making a visible and positive impact.
Make it a collab. Whether it is another organization, an environmental club or local eco-advocacy group, partnering with another organization allows your chapter to tackle bigger projects while fostering ties in your community. Landscaping native plants on campus or holding a recycling drive or hosting a clothing swap can all be great ways to build stronger community relationships and set an example for sustainability on your campus.
Reduce and reuse. Look for creative ways your chapter can repurpose items you already own instead of purchasing new ones, such as repainting or reusing things that would otherwise be trashed. Buying secondhand from thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace or even renting can save funds while reducing your chapter’s carbon footprint by minimizing packaging waste and emissions from online orders.
There are so many exciting opportunities to be sustainable in your community, whether it is through service and giving, planning social events with an environmental focus or implementing eco-friendly learning opportunities. Show off your chapter’s sustainable initiatives on social media and tag Alpha Sigma Alpha to celebrate your chapter’s impact in creating a sustainable sisterhood.