Earth Day Ideas for Seniors to Celebrate in Style

Everyone loves a celebration. Earth Day, held annually on April 22nd, seems like the perfect time for an event or activity, whether you live in a senior living community yourself or whether you support loved ones who reside in an assisted living community.

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, and people have been participating in activities annually since then to emphasize the importance of protecting our planet. While the official Earth Day celebration is a massive affair, your celebration can be smaller, planned quickly and organized easily.

For those living in a senior living community, consider one of these Earth Day ideas for seniors.

Host a seedling swap

Post a few flyers and get the word out amongst your neighbors that on Earth Day, everyone is welcome to gather together at your community’s or nearby assisted living's clubhouse to share gardening tips and to swap seedlings or cuttings. If you’ve been admiring that stunning flowering bush in your neighbor’s yard, now is the time to encourage her to share a cutting or two with the rest of you.

If everyone participates, you can share the lush foliage that already exists in your community and make it even lovelier, without anyone having to bear any expense. This can also be a good time to meet new people and to find individuals who share common interests and hobbies. You might discover that there is an interest in forming a gardening club that meets once a month or so.

Plant a tree

Take up a collection amongst the residents and purchase a tree or two that are native to your area. A few of you can go together to purchase the trees and then all interested residents can gather for the planting. If the trees are planted in a common area, everyone will be able to enjoy them.

Update your recycling program

Your community may already have a recycling program in place. If so, work with your neighbors to make certain that everyone has the proper bins and information about what products can and cannot be recycled in your area.

If there is not a program in place, organize a meeting with residents and administrators of your community to discuss setting up a program.

Share a bloom

Contact your local florist or gardening center and explain that you would like to distribute either small bouquets of flowers or small plants to the residents in a local assisted living community to celebrate Earth Day and brighten the residents’ rooms. Many times, the florist or gardening center will work with you to help you obtain the greenery at a discount. Small gestures like this are so important to individuals living in communities such as these. 

Create a craft

Often, assisted living communities have resident directors who hold crafting events for residents who are interested. Contact that individual and offer to hold an Earth Day event. You and the residents can make papier mache vases with little more than empty water bottles, strips of newspaper and glue. As the residents create their masterpieces, they have the opportunity to both learn about recycling and reusing everyday objects. They also have the chance to engage in the socialization they so often need.

While planting a tree is the most obvious Earth Day activity, it is not the only one. There are so many senior-friendly ways for you to celebrate this annual event with your neighbors and loved ones.

Review the following articles for more senior-friendly outdoor activities:

• Top 10 National Parks to Use Your Senior Pass
• 6 Best Vacation for Seniors with Limited Mobility