How will you celebrate Earth Day?

Every day, we try to be responsible citizens, doing what we can to save the environment. Earth Day comes around just once a year; what will you do to celebrate? We asked our authors what they were going to to do to honor the day. Here are their responses:

Lynda Artesani, Artesani Accounting Services: I appreciate the beauty of the sunrise from my backyard. The colors of the sky are spectacular and worth appreciating the beautiful planet we live on.

Lisa Brann, CPA, CGMA: I will plant two trees that I started growing as seedlings and are ready to be permanently planted in the ground.

Katie Bunschoten, Certum Solutions: We will spend Earth Day working in our homestead gardens and orchard, and appreciating the gifts nature gives us daily when we are kind and appreciative of it.

Dmitry Dragilev, JustReachOut.io and SmallBiz.Tools: My kids are still young and very curious, so we’ll have a little education coupled with a little fun. This Earth Day, my plan is to read a few books I got for them about what each one of us can do to care for our planet. After that, we’ll have a discussion with them about the books. We also plan to plant some of our own herbs (we grow some of our own food). Of course, I’ll try not to drive anywhere that day. We typically walk everywhere most days, anyway.

Carrie Kahn, Complete Business Group: After a year of no travel, I have discovered my gorgeous backyard. I found birds, trees, flowers, and even a pond. Slowing down has allowed me to enjoy nature on a whole new level. I plan to take my laptop outside to really soak up nature on Earth Day!

Bhairavi Parikh, CPA, Analytix Business Solutions: Our next generation will be the one most affected by climate change. As a concerned mom, I want my kids to understand the importance of nature and mother earth. This year, I asked my twin daughters to take pictures of the nature they visit. They will prepare a presentation, using those pictures to demonstrate its magnificence and importance. On Earth Day, I plan to take their friends and community kids to a park, where my girls can show and talk about their projects. Awareness is the initiation of change. I believe we are never too young to change the world.

Alicia Katz Pollock, Royalwise: When I go onsite to my clients and to conferences, I carry my own travel coffee mug, silicone straws, and even a cutlery set in a cute little travel case. Over the years, I estimate I’ve saved several thousand pieces of one-use plastic from the landfill.

Heather Satterley, CPA, Satterley Accounting Services. We will observe by partnering with the Arbor Day Foundationto plant a tree in honor of each of our team members and clients. Sometimes, we forget how extremely important trees are. They filter our air and our water. They are vital to life as we know it. So, in honor of Earth Day, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant each tree in one of America’s national forests as part of the efforts to revitalize the tree population across the country and ensure that they live on for future generations.

Cindy Schroeder, Bright Bookkeeping LLC: Since COVID-19 began, I have been trying to find new ways to counteract the everyday stress of running a bookkeeping firm. A good friend suggested to hug a tree to become one with nature and release all the negative energy. I was hesitant at first, but it is amazing how well it actually works to bring more calm to your world.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Firm of the Future.