Held every year on the 22nd of April from 1970, Earth Day has been a key day for those passionate about the enviroment to rally around and raise awareness around enviromental issues; such as climate change, deforestation, conservation and pollution. Whilst the day started as a political movement in the United States, the day is now celebrated world wide with over 100 million people globally recognising the day in 2020, on it's 50th anniversary.
Here at Obby, we've put together our picks of eco-friendly and sustainable ways for you to celebrate Earth Day - from dry flower floristry, to charity painting kits, to sewing skills - we've got something for everyone looking to do their bit for Mother Nature this April. Read on to uncover our picks!
Our 8 Fun Ideas To Help Celebrate Earth Day are:
- Ikebana Dried Flowers Workshop
- Mindful Forage & Wild Plant Workshop
- African Elephant Painting Kit
- Japanese Embroidery Mending Workshop
- Make Your Own Seed Bombs Kit
- Spoon Carving Workshop
- Terrarium Workshop
- Upcycle a Denim Jacket
Ikebana Dried Flowers Workshop
Location: Shoreditch, London | Price: £65pp | Length: 1hr 30min
Join the Cuemars team, who host a range of workshops around sustainable living and mindfulness craft, for this dried flower arranging class using the Japanese art of Ikebana! Stemming from the Japanese ikeru (keep alive, arrange) and hana (flower), the art places emphasis on connecting to nature and admiring the beauty around us.
In this evening workshop, you'll start out by sipping Japanese tea whilst discussing some of the principles behind Ikebana. Your teachers will offer tips and tricks on how to use your kenzans (eco-friendly metallic weighted stand) for your arrangement, which you'll get to take home and enjoy as a reminder of the natural beauty around us on Earth Day.
Book now on ObbyMindful Forage & Wild Plant Workshop
Location: Hampstead, London | Price: £50pp | Length: 3hrs
Reconnect with the UK's local flora with this Mindful Foraging and Wild Plant Workshop with Tamara Colchester. Based on the season, you will be gently introduced into the magical world of plants, using your senses to identify around 15 wild edible plants and flowers that provide us with both food and medicine.
The mindful foraging walk that will ensure everyone feels confident in naming and identifying each of the plants you find, along with how best to prepare them. Reconnecting with the British landscape as well as traditional foraging techniques, by being encouraged to use what's around us in a sustainable way, is the perfect Earth Day activity.
Book now on ObbyAfrican Elephant Acrylic Painting Kit
Location: At Home | Price: £30
Step into the African savanna with this special edition Art Kit from MasterPeace in collaboration with artist Sophie Green! Launched to help raise funds for conservation charity Tusk, the organisation have worked since 1990 to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss, or human-wildlife conflict; which have all had severe consequences on animals such as elephants and rhinos.
MasterPeace's Art Kits come with everything you need to get started, all in a handy, easy-to-post box. You'll receive a pre-drawn canvas, brushes, acrylic paints, sponge, written instructions and a link to a pre-recorded video tutorial from Sophie.
For each purchase of the Art Kit, MasterPeace will donate £5 to Tusk on your behalf; so you know that whilst you're painting your own majestic elephant, your purchase will help real animals in need of support; a great way to celebrate Earth Day knowing you're making a real contribution to helping the planet.
Book now on ObbyJapanese Embroidery Mending Workshop
Location: London | Price: £35pp | Length: 2hrs
If you're looking to take a sustainable appraoch to Earth Day this year, this repair workshop from Restoration London is a great place to start your slow fashion journey! An independent organisation that focuses on sustainability within the clothing industry, Restoration London focus on reusing, recycling and upcycling garments.
This workshop focuses around the Japanese practices of Sashiko and Boro, both forms of decorative reinforcement stitching, which started during Edo era (1615-1868) in Japan. During the 2 hour group workshop, you'll be given an introduction into this traditional method of mending, using beautiful fabrics as patches to fix any holes in your clothing and to create beautiful traditional designs.
Book now on ObbyMake Your Own Seed Bombs Kit
Location: At Home | Price: £8.50
Do your part to help the eco-system around you this Earth Day with this Make Your Own Seed Bombs Kit from Oakdale Bees! Good for the soul and great for the bees, bugs and butterflies, this kit is a great way to get wild flowers growing. The lack of food and habitat available for bees has been a huge part in the decline in bee populations, so using this kit to ensure they'll have a habitat they can thrive in is a great way to make a difference on Earth Day.
Made up of seeds, flour and soil - the weight of the ball will ensure your seeds stay in place and don't blow away. You can throw them into hard to reach places, where it would be hard to prepare the ground before! They're so much fun to make, and are a great activity to do with kids, and along with the fun you'll get to know you're helping to provide more food for bees.
Spoon Carving Workshop
Location: Hackney | Price: from £50pp
Reconnect with nature on Earth Day with this Spoon Carving Workshop by London Green Wood! A co-operative of woodworkers set up in 2011, they aim to help others connect with the natural world using woodcraft, based at Hackney City Farm. They only use green wood, wood which has been felled locally and taken straight from the log ready to use.
In this full-day workshop will walk you through how to take a locally-sourced, plain log and turn it into a handcrafted spoon you can take home with you and use! You'll use an axe and two types of knife, under supervision of course, to help you create your new piece of cutlery.
Book now on ObbyTerrarium Masterclass
Location: Coal Drops Yard, London | Price: from £68
If you're looking to connect with the botanical on Earth Day 2022, then this masterclass from the Botanical Boys is a perfect, low-maintenance way to connect with the planet's flora.
Terrariums are a miniature environment of living plants which thrive off moisture. As they are self-sustaining, they're a great way to connect with some greenery; even if you've not been blessed with the gift of green thumbs!
In the workshop, you'll learn the history of terrariums, before jumping into building your mini environment where you'll learn: layering and planting techniques, watering techniques, and aftercare for your new garden.
Book now on ObbyUpcycle A Denim Jacket
Location: Oval, London | Price: £65pp | Length: 3hrs
Another great class if you're looking for a sustainable approach this Earth Day 2022, is this Upcycling Workshop from The Textile Touch! Run by Katie Gerald Young, she takes inspiration from her number 1 bestselling debut book - also named The Textile Touch - to run workshops inspiring others to ditch fast fashion and find a passion for second-hand and vintage pieces.
The 3 hour workshop comes with inspiring choice of scarfs, trims and trinkets to embellish your jacket and give it a new lease of life! You'll work alongside a group of fellow sustainable style and upcyling lovers, in a all purpose workroom, you can even bring along other materials if you want to add something special to your jacket!
Book now on ObbyNeed more advice?
Hopefully, these ideas for how to spend your Earth Day this year have helped. If you're still looking for something to do to celebrate Mother Nature, be sure to take a read of some of our other amazing guides and best round-ups below. We're sure you'll find something useful, oh - and don't forget to share the love.