By Sophia Jech

Earth Day is a holiday that comes once a year, but that doesn’t mean you have to be limited to sharing an Instagram post on it that day. There are many wonderful options you can use that can make an impact on the environment and be fun for you too; Not to mention opportunities to help your own and nearby cities. Here are the top five things you can do in honor of this 52nd Earth Day! 

1. Go to the Red Oak Nature Center. You can walk around the protected area and enjoy nature or head on inside to learn more about it. While admission is free, it is suggested that you donate $1 a person. This money goes back towards taking care of the area, and the rescued animals you see inside. If you enjoy this you may also be interested in camps and events they offer year-round. While you are there you can also pick up one of the free oak trees and plant it in your own backyard! 
2. Go to an event held by the Kane County Forest Preserve. This is another great opportunity to learn about the environment and to help it. They offer a variety of camps and events for different ages including presentations on otters and tree planting events. 
3. Spend time walking and biking. As the weather is getting warm and the days are getting longer, it is even easier to bike and walk places. Whether you make a goal not to use your vehicle at all for a day, make a general goal to bike more often, or just try and carpool more, your actions will reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment. 
4. Pick up a rain barrel or compost bin from Creek Bend Nature Center. You will get the opportunity to explore another wonderful protected area and pick up supplies to help the environment yourself for a relatively affordable price. Rain barrels will cost you $64.50, and composters will cost you $72.50. You can pick up the rain barrels and compost bins from the center from 2-6 PM daily until May 3. 
5. Pick up trash in your Area. Whether you spend your time around home or out and about, you are sure to notice litter. While it may seem like a small action, picking up trash not only makes your area cleaner and more enjoyable but if everyone were to do it, it could have a big impact on the environment. There are plenty of events you can take part in, or you can go on your own. But even if this doesn’t interest you, picking up trash you see walking around in your regular life can be helpful too! 

These are just a few options of many. You can check out local forest preserves, and park districts as well as other online websites to find other events to participate in or actions you can do to help. Your actions have an impact. Whether you are thinking big or small, you have a variety of options you can do to help out in honor of earth day!