Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. This year’s Earth Day theme is “invest in our planet”. We are on this planet together and together we can invest our time, energy, and effort, to protect and preserve this planet we call Earth for ourselves and future generations.

As citizens of the Earth and South Carolina, we can actively invest in our planet by:

Participating in Citizen Science projects/programs. These projects/programs are something you can do year-round. Citizen science is when people collect data through observation of the physical world and report it to the scientific community. They range from global efforts such as the Great Back Yard Bird Count to local programs such as SC Adopt a Beach and SC Adopt a Stream programs.

Learn more about South Carolina’s environment by participating in local state park programs and events. State Park programs and events cater to all ages and interest from the mountains to the sea, including interpretive nature walks, interactive exhibits, and other outdoor adventures. 

Some things you can do to invest time, energy, and effort, around your community and in your own yard include:

• Start a neighborhood project to label storm drains; only rainwater should go down the drain.
• Compost at home and use the compost as a natural fertilizer for flower beds.
• Bag the grass when mowing in the Spring to stop the spread of weeds and reduce the need for harsh chemicals on the yard.
• Encourage local schools and businesses to enroll in the Breathe Better Anti-Idling program to reduce air pollution, the Champions of the Environment competitive grant program to promote student engagement, and the Take Action SC Environmental Education program that encourages and promotes environmental education across South Carolina

To learn more about what you can do to celebrate Earth Day, visit DHEC’s Make Every Day Earth Day webpage.