Third Rock from the Sun. Mother Earth. The Blue Planet.

Regardless of how you refer to it, or where you reside on it, the planet earth is our shared home. In gratitude for our collective home, we celebrate Earth Day annually on April 22nd.

But what is Earth Day? According to UNESCO:

"International Earth Day is celebrated every year on the 22nd of April to remind us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with sustenance and that we have a collective responsibility to achieve balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations."

In short, the earth is awesome, it gives us all we need, and we all need to work together to make sure future generations can enjoy it and reap its amazingness. 

But how? More importantly, how can you get your kids interested in conservation?

The first step, talk about it. Explain what Earth Day is, or better yet, ask what they know about Earth Day. Open the floor to discuss the great things about earth and some of the not-so-great, too. Ask what we as humans can do to protect our planet and even restore it for future generations? Bring it even closer to home, pun intended, look around your own house and discuss some of the measures you're already taking to be more eco-friendly. Some examples might be recycling and composting, driving a low emission vehicle, using a low-flow toilet, or using transit when commuting. All these actions can help offset your carbon footprint. If you're interested in the size of your carbon footprint, why not try out this calculator. 

Next, do something about it. Below are a few ideas to get you going:

• Pledge as a family to reduce, reuse, and recycle (or compost) everything.
• Plant a tree, a vegetable garden, or a flower garden. (And, kids will almost always eat a vegetable if they've grown it themselves).
• Choose to walk or bike instead of using a vehicle when you can.
• Bring your own containers and bags to the grocery store.
• Support local businesses.
• Support farm share programs in your community.
• Travel the world virtually. Google Earth is an amazing way for your family to explore, see and learn together.

Ready to try your first green adventure? Explore our Earth Day Scavenger Hunt! Copy and paste each of the following coordinates into Google Earth to see where your adventure will take you. 

Location 1: 48.8583701 2.2944813
Location 2: 48.8494517 2.3059379
Location 3: 51.044308 -114.0630914
Location 4: 46.808706 -71.2141788
Location 5: 46.2316328 6.1314924
Location 6: 51.0677785 -114.1981633  

As Kermit the Frog once said, "It's not easy being green", but it sure is worth it.

To learn more about our community and learning at CFIS, contact our Admissions team at admissions@cfis.com.