Help Other | Be Careful

Taking Positive Action in Your Community

1. 1
   Support candidates with strong environmental records. Giving your support to politicians who promote environmental causes is a great way to make a difference. Even if you’re stuck at home and can’t hit the campaign trail, you can still support the candidate of your choice by making calls or sending texts to potential voters. Contact their campaign staff to find out how you can help!
   

   • You can also contact your representatives directly and ask them to take action on environmental issues.
2. 2
   Donate to organizations that support the environment. If you’re able to spare a little money, making a donation to an eco-friendly nonprofit is a great way to help out while you’re in lockdown. Even if you can’t donate a lot yourself, you can always set up a fundraiser on Facebook and invite your friends to chip in! Consider giving to some of these organizations that are highly rated by Charity Navigator:
   

   • Environmental Defense Fund
   • 350.org
   • Natural Resources Defense Council
   • Friends of the Earth
   Tip: If you don’t have money to spare, consider volunteering your time. Contact an organization in your area that supports environmental causes and ask how you can help out, whether it’s making calls or tending a plot in a community garden.
3. 3
   Participate in a community cleanup if you want to get active. Even if you’re under a shelter in place order, you may still be able to go outside. Take the opportunity to pick up some trash on your street or in a local park, if any are open. You can even do a search to find out if there are any organized cleanups planned in your area—just make sure to stay at least 6 feet (1.8 m) away from anyone else on your cleanup team!
   

   • In addition to social distancing, practice basic safety precautions, such as wearing closed-toed shoes, putting on sunblock, and not picking up anything that might be hazardous (such as used needles or dead animals).
4. 4
   Share sustainability ideas with family and friends. If you have ideas about how to stay green during the coronavirus crisis, speak up! Call, email, or text people you know with your ideas, or get online and share them on social media.Use hashtags like #earthday, #zerowaste, or #savetheplanet to make your posts easier to find.
   

   • For example, if you have an idea for how to upcycle plastic bags or if you know of a new green power initiative in your area, hop on Twitter and let your followers know!
5. 5
   Incorporate environmental lessons into your kids’ curriculum if you’re a parent. If you’ve unexpectedly become a homeschool teacher in the past few weeks, take advantage of this great educational opportunity. Talk to your kids about green sources of energy, work on planting a vegetable garden with them, or do an eco-friendly craft project.
   

   • For example, you could build a bee condo or make CD sun catchers to help keep birds from hitting your windows.
6. 6
   Share items with your neighbors if you have things to spare. You can help your neighbors and the planet at the same time by sharing spare household items, which can cut down on the need for vehicle deliveries and reduce excess packaging waste. If you have extra cleaning supplies, groceries, or other odds and ends that your neighbors can use, box them up and drop them outside their door.
   

   • If you’re growing your own food, set up a garden exchange! You and your neighbors can exchange produce, seeds, or even soil and compost. Just make safe doorstep drop-offs so you don’t have to get too close to each other.