7 ways to celebrate Earth Day with your family

Sustainability and climate change is top of mind for many of us. The 55th anniversary of Earth Day is the perfect time to involve your kids in Australia’s sustainability goals and help transform your household into an eco-friendly one.

This year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet™ and Earthday.org is inviting its one billion supporters in 192 countries to unite behind renewable energy, with the goal of tripling the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.

In one year, Australia generated an estimated 75.6 million tonnes  of waste or about 2.88 tonnes per person*. That is a lot of waste. 

The greatest source of the waste was building and demolition materials with 26.8 Mt then organics at 14.6 metric tonnes.

Families can play their part in waste reduction and reuse by using recycled building materials where possible and reducing food wastage at home. 

From planting trees, to cleaning up your local area, to donating food, there are many things you and your family can do to support our planet.

What better way to teach your kids about recycling than with a fun arts and crafts session? There are many child-friendly DIY and craft activities you can set up that use recycled materials – even materials you might already have lying around in your home.

For example, you can teach your kids how to make bottle cap fish, egg carton dragonflies, and hanging birds with recycled CDs. You can also use scrap paper or old newspapers to make Papier Mâché or use them for origami. Your kids will love getting stuck into all these recycled materials and using their imagination to make anything they want.

If you have a recycling centre like Sydney’s Reverse Garbage in your area, take the kids for an adventure to see what can be repurposed or book them for workshop designed to educate them about the importance of waste reduction.

You could also help Australia’s native wildlife by building a bird feeder or “bee hotel” from recycled materials.

The major source of waste in Australia is building and demolition materials (26.8 metric tonnes). And while your family can’t make a big impact on that figure, you can build awareness of waste. Even small projects can show kids that things don’t need to be disposable. You can start by repurposing an older piece of furniture to give it new life – like painting a wooden bookshelf white. If you’re building the kids a cubby, try to use used building materials instead of new. Second hand pavers can be laid for a garden path. And if you’re really keen you could even incorporate used materials into your future home renovations.  

Take some time out of your day to donate any spare foods you have in your pantry or leftovers from a home-cooked meal. This will help your kids learn more about food waste, while also showing them how they can help others in need. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a local food bank or food drive organisation that’ll welcome all your donations.

If you want to take things a step further, volunteer at your local Foodbank Australia branch with your kids so they can see firsthand the results of their actions and whom they can help with their extra food. Serving food to local community members or delivering pantry items to families in need can be a rewarding as well as educational experience for your family.

Spend Earth Day out and about at a local neighbourhood clean-up. It’s good to teach your kids – especially at an early age – the consequences of littering for the environment and partaking in a local clean-up is sure to show them just that. They’ll be able to see how bits of rubbish can pollute the environment and harm native animals such as birds and sea turtles.

There’s an abundance of local clean-ups you can take your kids to during Earth Day. Check some out on your local council’s website and register online. You can also volunteer with your family at clean-ups hosted by a non-profit organisation such as Clean Up Australia. 

Get your kids involved in Earth Day with something fun and practical, like planting a tree. A collaborative activity with timely rewards, planting a tree is sure to be a memorable experience for your kids, from the planting process to watching their tree grow. Some councils hold native tree giveaways events. Check your own council to find out more including any limitations on planting trees in your area. 

By reducing food waste your family can play its part to reduce the mountains of organic waste generate in Australia every year (14.6 metric tonnes). You could start with better planning and mindful habits. Families can cut waste by planning meals in advance, making shopping lists, and buying only what’s needed. Proper food storage is also important. So, aim to keep your fridge organised using airtight containers. If you can easily find things in your fridge there’s less chance it will be forgotten and spoil.

Try to use your leftovers. These days with cost-of-living concerns there are lots of online tips and recipes to turn leftovers into new meals, cooking in bulk to freeze and sharing with others to help minimise food waste.

Understanding food labels is another simple way to prevent unnecessary disposal. You can check the Australian Government healthdirect website for more information on food labels to avoid food wastage.

Australians generate 75.8 million tonnes of waste a year, with this amount increasing by 10% annually. With households contributing 12.4 million tonnes to this annual waste total, it may be time for you and your family to consider practising more sustainable waste management to protect our planet, including the disposing of your food scraps.

Compost bins are a good, green way to make use of food waste that you would otherwise throw away, while also improving the quality of your garden soil. They break down organic matter and recycle the vital nutrients in your food waste to feed back into the soil. Setting up a compost bin can be a fun and cooperative time for your family especially when you generate earthworm activity.

Take the chance on Earth Day to introduce some eco-friendly and sustainable habits to your household. Anything from avoiding fast fashion, going paperless, practising paperless recycling, and reducing plastic wrap is a great effort. Get your children involved by explaining the environmental benefits surrounding these actions and demonstrate them yourself.

We all know how important it is to reinforce sustainable habits in young kids, so your family can create a digital habit calendar to track your household’s sustainability efforts. You can also use the Earth Day annual celebrations to look back on your previous year’s sustainability efforts and develop them with your family every year.

Connecting to Optus just got easier without a physical SIM card with digital eSIM technology

Sustainability at Optus

At Optus, we’re committed to driving lasting positive change for our people, customers and community. Learn about our strategy and the meaningful progress we’ve made towards our sustainability goals.

Optus Sustainability Report

[*] National waste and resource recovery report 2024, page 15.