Earth Month 2021
At BYU we're celebrating Earth Day every day through the month of April. Join us as we take simple, daily steps to become better stewards of the Earth. What's your #StewardStory?
4/1 Calculate your carbon footprint
Learn how your everyday choices impact the planet. Calculate your carbon footprint to get started.
4/2 Get moving (National Walk to Work Day)
Help make Provo even more pedestrian friendly. Visit local nonprofit BikeWalk Provo to learn how to make our streets, sidewalks, and crosswalks open and safe for everyone.
4/3 Waste not, want not
Freeze leftovers for later, or try composting. Thanks in part to the BYU Student Sustainability Initiative, you can now drop off food scraps at the BYU Greenhouse near Kiwanis Park. Look for the green collection bins near the east entrance of the greenhouse.
4/4 Get creative (Easter Sunday)
Use natural, homemade dyes for your Easter eggs this year. Raspberries, blueberries, turmeric, red cabbage, and onion skins all create rich hues when boiled or mixed with vinegar. Pat dry your colored eggs and shine them up with a little cooking oil.
4/5 Take the bus
Ditch your car for the day and take public transport. Did you know you can ride the UVX bus for free with your BYU ID?
4/6 Clear the air
Don't idle your engine while waiting in drive-thrus or at long lights. Better yet, drive less, drive with friends, or drive electric. You'll save gas and keep the air just a bit cleaner.
4/7 Get outside (World Health Day)
Studies show that contact with nature improves physical and mental health. Go for a walk, run, or bike ride today.
4/8 Get involved (Y Mountain Trail Restoration)
Join BYU restoration ecology students on Y Mountain from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students and volunteers will plant native grasses and other plants to curb erosion. Spots are limited, so sign up early. Masks are required.
4/9 Take a closer look
This month, BYU's Museum of Art features vivid, large-scale photographs of nearby housing developments, railways, mines, dams, and freeways. Visit Far Out: The West Re-seen, Photography of Victoria Samburnaris to contemplate the beauty and fragility of the land around us (FREE, closes May 1).
4/10 Buy "ugly" produce
Embrace imperfection in the produce aisle—choose ugly fruits and vegetables! They're just as nutritious, and they won't add to the 43 billion pounds of food that grocery stores throw out annually.
4/11 Know your divine role
This Sunday, visit nonprofit LDS Earth Stewardship to watch a recording of the 2020 Fall Forum with Sister Sharon Eubank and to explore the role that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have in caring for the Earth.
4/12 Give Meatless Monday a try
A plant-based diet will improve your health and help reduce your carbon footprint.
4/13 Conserve water
Shorten your shower time, and take other steps to reduce your water use. This spring, 90 percent of Utah is in extreme drought.
4/14 Reduce and reuse
Avoid single-use plastic bags, and use a cloth tote bag or a reusable eco-bag instead. For beverages, use washable, reusable bottles.
4/15 Take an Earth Day quiz
It's the last day of classes. Hone your test-taking skills with a quiz on climate change, clean energy, environmental literacy, and other topics. Visit nonprofit EarthDay.org.
4/16 Cut out single-use plastics
Make a habit of saying, "No straw, please." Plastic straws can take 200 years to decompose.
4/17 Harness the sun
On sunny days, hang-dry your clothes to save energy and cut costs. Or turn off the thermostat and let some fresh air and sunshine into your home.
4/18 Study and search
This Sunday, take a doctrinal approach to stewardship by studying the Scriptures. To get started, read Gospel Topics: Environmental Stewardship and Conservation on the Church's website.
4/19 Eat local, shop local
Support local farms by buying fresh produce from farmers' markets or community supported agriculture (CSA) programs. Did you know that BYU sources one-fourth of its food from local businesses?
4/20 Keep our rivers clean
The Jordan River Watershed drains an area of more than 3,800 square miles. Protect fish and wildlife by avoiding products with microbeads or other microplastics that can enter our precious waster system.
4/21 Hold politicians to account
Knowing where your elected officials stand on environmental issues and then using your voice and vote to effect change are two of the most important things you can do. Contact one elected official today.
4/22 Celebrate Earth Day!
We're all stewards of the Earth. Today through Saturday, share your stewardship story on social media and use the hashtags #EarthDay, #BYUSustainability, and #StewardStory. BYU may feature your post!
4/23 Get in touch
We want to hear from you. All this month, tell us what BYU can do to become more sustainable, now and in the future. Share your ideas big and small by emailing the BYU Sustainability Office at sustainability@byu.edu.
4/24 Get involved (Slate Canyon Trail Cleanup)
Join our friends at Utah Valley University, Provo City, and the nonprofit Conserve Utah Valley for a Global Earth Day project from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will complete four projects, including a citizen science project, at the Slate Canyon trailhead. Spots are limited, so sign up early. Masks are required.
4/25 Cut the clutter
Junk mail is just, well, junk. Unsubscribe from services that send you unwanted paper mail.
4/26 Go circular
Shop for clothes at Provo's fun and quirky thrift stores. You'll save money and make your wardrobe more uniquely yours. (It's the circular economy, baby.)
4/27 Give books a second life
Spring semester starts today. When buying textbooks, find a used copy or buy the e-book. If you do buy new, shop local to avoid unnecessary shipping.
4/28 Y waste? RecYcle
BYU recycles plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper, newspaper, and cardboard boxes—even pizza boxes. Look for the blue bins on campus. Visit BYU Recycling to learn more.
4/29 We repeat: RecYcle!
BYU recycles e-waste too. Put electronics NEXT to BYU dumpsters for collection, NOT inside of them.
4/30 Hug a tree (Arbor Day)
BYU's Campus Tree Tour helps you identify 120 specimens. Can you find them all?