Launch into the New Year with these environmental awareness days in January!
New Year’s Day – January 1st
New Year’s Day is a day dedicated to renewal and fresh starts. It’s the time when many people commit to forming better habits, reaching personal goals and creating a fulfilling life.
What better way to ring in the New Year than by instilling this same ambitious forward-thinking into your business. Use New Year’s Day as the release date for your sustainability mission statement and share it with your stakeholders and community.
You can also prepare for the New Year by forming a dedicated green team to oversee your company’s green projects and ensuring your sustainability agenda stays on track. Together, decide which areas of your business need improvement and select both short and long-term initiatives that can carry you throughout the year.
Houseplant Appreciation Day – January 10th
It’s time we give our leafy, chlorophyllic friends some much deserved praise. Indoor plants do much more for us than just add that pop of color to the home and office. Plants help purify indoor air quality, removing airborne pollutants that can cause throat and eye irritation. In fact, a study by NASA found that certain plants do it better than others.
Further, plants enhance mental health by incorporating nature into the built environment and breaking up the sterility that many offices possess.
Here are a few ideas for celebrating Houseplant Appreciation Day:
- Allow employees to bring a plant for their desk or office.
- Buy office plants from your local nursery.
- Organize a plant swap party where staff exchange plants; this is a fun way to engage employees and create inclusivity, allowing coworkers to learn from each other and deepen their connection with nature.
Seed Swap Day – January 29th
If you already have all the office plants you need, then Seed Swap Day is another way to exercise your green thumb.
A seed swap is the same as a plant swap. You can include a potting or gardening segment, or just stick to trading seed packets.
Plan a day for staff to come together and exchange seeds for their home gardens. You could also use this event to plan your own onsite garden. Make sure to give plenty of notice and recruit volunteers to gather supplies. And don’t forget that a work party isn’t complete without the hor d’oeuvres! Support your local caterers, coffee shops and other small businesses when choosing the party grub.
Not only is gardening a great way to connect as a team, but it supports local biodiversity and pollinator species crucial to food security.
You can find other environmental awareness days to celebrate on our blog!
