40 Earth Day Activities for Work
Earth day, celebrated on April 22 each year, is a day dedicated to environmental protection, raising awareness about climate change, and taking action to protect our planet. The first official Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. Earth Day has now become an important date on the HR calendar to engage employees in green efforts and fun earth day activities.
As business leaders, it's important to not only recognize the importance of Earth Day but also to actively participate in it by implementing earth day activities at work. Companies mark Earth Day with events, activities, and launching initiatives to tackle global warming.
Below are a few ideas to help your organization celebrate Earth Day, make the planet a little bit greener and create a more sustainable future for future generations.
Strategy, Policy and Structures
Celebrate Earth Day by having the senior executive team review existing sustainability strategies and policies, and commit to the development of something new that is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other sustainable brands.
Create a “Green Team Taskforce”
Form a green team or green committee that will be responsible for organizing and implementing sustainable initiatives in the office. This team should include environmental experts, sustainability champions, and other enthusiastic individuals. Corporate green teams should be open to anyone and its members should be dedicated to promoting eco-friendly practices throughout their workplace.
Set environmental goals
Set ambitious environmental goals and track your progress. Establishing clear objectives will ensure that everyone understands what they need to do in order to reach their goals. Tracking progress will also help you measure your company’s success and identify any areas that need improvement.
Release your sustainability plan
Make sure to communicate your progress or any changes you’re making to become more sustainable. You can do this by releasing a sustainability plan outlining the steps you are taking, or giving quarterly progress reports to update employees and customers about your company’s eco-friendly initiatives. This will show that your company is serious about preserving the environment, and can help to further engage your employees in sustainability efforts.
Build teams and workplace culture
Organize an Earth Day event
Host a green-themed event, such as a fundraiser for a local wildlife protection group or a workshop on reducing carbon footprint. Make sure your event is completely waste-free by using reusable plates, cups, and utensils. Earth Day event ideas include to host a virtual happy hour, movie night, art projects, a push up a thon, after work drinks, trivia night—or whatever theme you can think of—centered around the environment. Integrate discussion into the session and encourage employees to share what they know about sustainability topics.
Encourage employees to bring their children, students, or other family members to the event to learn about the importance of protecting the environment and participate in the activities.
Organize a zero-waste lunch
Organizing a zero-waste lunch is a great way to show your team that small changes can add up to make a big difference. Make the menu fully plant based as farming is a major source of pollution. Use reusable packaging and utensils, or composting all food scraps.
Host a virtual tree planting event
One way to celebrate Earth Day is to organize a tree-planting event in your community or at your office. Not only will this help to improve the local environment, but it's also a great team-building activity. Want to learn more about how to run a virtual tree planting event? See our resource here.
Organize a nature walk
Encourage employees to take a break from their desks and explore the great outdoors. A nature walk can be a great way to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our environment as well as educating employees about local fauna and flora.
Plant a garden or tree
Plant a garden or trees on the grounds of your office. This is a great way to promote sustainability and provide employees with an opportunity to connect with nature. Plus, it will beautify the workplace and reduce air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Reduce Waste
Install energy saving lights
Take advantage of Earth Day to upgrade your office lighting to more energy-efficient options. This will not only reduce your company's carbon footprint but also lower energy costs in the long run.
Start a recycling program
Celebrate Earth Day by encourage employees to recycle by setting up recycling stations throughout the office. This is a simple and effective way to reduce waste and promote sustainability in the workplace.
Reduce water usage
Implement a low-water dishwashing method implement water-saving fixtures in restrooms and kitchens. Encourage employees to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth or washing dishes, and encourage them to use reusable bottles instead of single-use plastics.
Start composting
Start your own compost project in the office and encourage employees to bring their food scraps to work to be composted. Composting projects are great for reducing food waste and creating rich soil that can be used to grow plants.
Collect E-waste
Organize an e-waste collection event where employees can drop off their old electronics to be recycled properly.
Announce a waste-free launch room
Announce a waste-free policy. Supply reusable containers, cups, drink bottles, and utensils with them to the office. Eliminate single-use plastic (such as plastic sandwich bags, trash bags) and encourage sustainable habits in the workplace. Install a composting and office recycling program to cement your company's green efforts.
Reduce paper usage
Encourage employees to print on both sides of paper and use digital alternatives for documents that can be shared electronically. Encourage the use of laptops instead of desktop computers, which are more energy-efficient and generate less waste over time. Additionally, consider switching to paperless billing and other digital payment methods to reduce the amount of paper being used in the office.
Provide eco-friendly office supplies
Choose eco-friendly office supplies, such as refillable pens and energy-saving devices. Encourage employees to make use of the items provided, such as reusable mugs for coffee or water bottles for keeping hydrated throughout the day. This can reduce your company’s waste output and prevent unnecessary strain on the environment.
Educate Employees
Invite an expert to speak to your employees
Invite a sustainability expert, environmental scientist, or other professional to give a virtual or physical presentation about the importance of Earth Day and how we can incorporate sustainable practices into our everyday lives. Topics should relate to your company's purpose, mission, or local area. It might include how to reduce carbon emissions, ways to conserve energy and water, or how to practice zero-waste living.
Educate employees on sustainability practices
Hold regular sustainability seminars or workshops for employees. These events can cover so many amazing topics such as the importance of reducing waste, conserving energy, and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Share content about sustainability practices
Share articles, videos, and other content related to sustainability initiatives on your company’s social media channels. This is a great way to educate others about the importance of Earth Day and promote sustainable practices.
Communicate with Stakeholders
Announce companywide green policy
Once the green team has developed a sustainability plan, they can announce it to all employees. This policy should include details on how everyone in the organization can contribute towards your environmental goals and what steps are being taken to reduce their environmental impact. By making this policy company-wide, everyone will be held accountable for upholding these standards and doing their part for the environment. Review and assess regularly.
Green pledge
Create a green pledge that employees can sign to show their commitment to sustainability. An employee's green pledge will help ensure everyone is held accountable for following the green policy and will create a strong sense of community within your organization.
Commit to Zero Carbon
Make a commitment to offsetting your company's carbon emissions and reduce the environmental impact of operations. This could include setting goals for reducing energy consumption, switching to renewable energy sources, or finding ways to reduce waste and improve recycling efforts. By taking concrete steps to reduce your carbon footprint, you can show your commitment to preserving our planet.
Spread awareness
Create content to spread awareness about environmental issues and the importance of taking action. This could include creating videos, hosting webinars, or writing blog posts that focus on sustainability. By sharing your message with others, you can help motivate people to make eco-friendly choices and take steps to protect our planet.
Use Corporate Social Responsibility
Include green initiatives in the corporate responsibility policy
Show your commitment to a sustainable planet by including eco-friendly practices in the corporate responsibility policy. This document should include ways that you can reduce your environmental impact and take steps to become more sustainable. Some of the ways your company can go green include promoting carpools, instituting water bottle refill stations, switching to LED lighting, and encouraging employees to use reusable containers for their lunches.
Host an epic green fundraiser
Organize a fundraising event to raise money for environmental causes. The raised money could fund the installation of solar panels on residential homes, provide scholarships for environmental studies, or funding conservation projects in your local area. This type of event will not only help raise money for important causes, but also raise awareness about the importance of taking steps to protect our planet.
Volunteer opportunities (local or virtual)
Organize volunteer opportunities. Employees could take part in local volunteer opportunities ranging from beach cleanups and tree-planting initiatives to painting fences and cleaning parks. If your office is fully or partially remote, consider organizing virtual volunteer opportunities. , or if you can gather in person, look for ways to get involved with local organizations and their initiatives.
These activities will not only give your team the chance to make a positive impact on their local environment, but they also provide great bonding opportunities.
Adopt a highway
Organize a team of employees who will adopt a highway and do regular clean-ups. This is a great way to get involved in the local community and make an impact on the environment.
Clean up a local park or waterway
Organize a regular clean-up day at a local park or waterway to keep the environment safe and clean.
Cultivate customers
Reward your clients & customers for being green
Offer discounts to customers who bring their own reusable bags to the store or when they participate in a recycling program. This is an easy way to reward your customers for taking steps towards protecting the environment.
Share educational resources with customers
Provide educational resources to your customers that explain how they can reduce their impact on the environmental this Earth Day. This could include tips on reducing energy consumption, conserving water, and reusing items when possible. Additionally, share information about the green initiatives you are implementing in your business and encourage them to join you in doing their part for the environment.
Refurbish or recycle customer purchases
Use Earth Day as a platform to launch an initiative where customers can return their old products for refurbishment or recycling. This is a great way to reduce your company’s environmental footprint and incentivize customers to be more conscious with their purchases. Additionally, offer rewards for customers who participate in the program.
Build partnerships
Partner with organizations that are working to make the world a better place, and look for ways to collaborate. By forming partnerships and collaborating on projects, you can have a bigger impact and work together to create positive change.
Join 1% for the planet
Commit to donating 1% of your company’s profits to environmental causes by joining the 1% for the Planet organization. This is a great way to show your commitment to sustainability, as well as give back to the environment.
Nonprofit collaborations
Find local nonprofits that are working on environmental initiatives and collaborate with them to create meaningful projects. Whether it’s raising awareness about an issue, creating a volunteer group, or supporting conservation efforts in your area, partnering with non-profits can help you make a positive impact.
Support local businesses
Supporting local businesses is one of the best ways to reduce your environmental footprint. Not only are you giving back to the community, but you’re also reducing your carbon emissions by decreasing transportation costs and eliminating single-use packaging. Additionally, look for businesses that are dedicated to sustainability and have green initiatives in place.
Look for eco-friendly suppliers
When sourcing materials for your business, look for eco-friendly suppliers that use sustainable practices and recycle or reuse materials when possible. This will help reduce your environmental impact, as well as save you money in the long run.
Challenge and reward
Organize an office-wide sustainability challenge
A great way to raise awareness of Earth Day is by organizing an office-wide sustainability challenge or fun competition. This could involve anything from reducing electricity consumption and minimizing water usage to cutting down on single-use plastics or encouraging team members to make more sustainable lifestyle choices. You could offer prizes for teams who come up with the most creative ideas or have the biggest impact on their environment.
Launch an incentives-based recycling program
Motivate employees by rewarding them for their commitments to sustainability on Earth Day with gift cards or vouchers this Earth Day at work. Challenge workers to see how little plastic they can use that week (reusable plastic is okay). The person with the least amount of used plastic wins! This will encourage employees to participate in your recycling program.
Green transportation challenge
Challenge workers to find sustainable alternatives to get to and from work one week. This could include carpooling, taking public transport, cycling, or walking. When possible, allow employees to work remotely or stagger working hours so they can avoid peak times on public transportation. Offer employees incentive programs this Earth Day such as discounts on public transport or bike-share membership to reduce their carbon footprint when commuting. You could also start a carpooling system within the company to encourage your staff to share rides when possible.
Promote meat-free Monday
Encourage employees to make conscious dietary choices by launching a meat-free Monday program during Earth Day. This initiative will not only reduce your company’s carbon footprint, but also help promote healthy eating habits among staff. Consider providing incentives for employees who participate in the program.
If you are looking for ideas on hosting other HR holidays, see:
