At 1pm today we’ll be switching off to celebrate World Earth Day. Today might be the first day the UK have survived without burning coal to make electricity since the beginning of the industrial revolution which would be an amazing achievement. So I was thinking what can we do to have some family fun and help the environment at the same time? Here are our top Time Token ING’s we’ve been doing.
Plant ING
You could and get a small tree from a local garden centre, or buy some seeds to plant. The Boys grandfather planted an acorn when each of them was born and everytime we visit they can see how much their oak tree has grown, each tree being exactly the same age as them. They love it and it’s a great reminder to them of how important nature is. Wilfred has just been planting beans at nursery, he’s so excited about them he asked if we could plant some at home and every day he runs out to see their progress but they are doing so well he’s now nervous we are going to end up with a Beanstalk!
Eat ING
Our neighbours have an allotment and we are very lucky that they a) have green fingers and grow some delicious veggies b) are extremely generous. Today they have kindly given us a massive bunch of asparagus (my favourite), it’s apparently the UK’s best year for asparagus in a decade. A delicious way to cook it, which my mum introduced me to over Easter, is to roast them in the over for a few minutes with olive oil and a sprinkling of Malden Salt. We’ll make some hollandaise sauce and boil some fresh eggs from my parent’s village and use the Asparagus as soldiers – Jamie O eat your heart out!
Clean ING
If you live by the coast why not pop down to a local beach with the kids and collect rubbish. We spent some time at Sandwich Bay in Kent over Easter and collected more than 3 bags of rubbish in under an hour. And guess what – it was fun! The boys loved running up and down the beach seeing who could find the weirdest thing. If you’re not near the coast what about a walk in your local woods or part park and see if you can fill a bag of rubbish – every bit helps.
Save ING power
Try and save as much power as possible today – get everyone involved. Was going to crack out the tea lights but my husband (yes, he’s an engineer!) just pointed out they are made from paraffin wax which is a petro chemical – better find those beeswax candles – anything for a romantic dinner!
Nature ING
Getting in touch with Nature. How about visiting your local National Trust property or park and letting your children have a roam around their grounds and learn some great facts. We might pop over to Kew Gardens later to get our nature fix!
Remember, you don't have to wait for Earth Day to show your love for the planet we call home.