Ah! Spring. The spring equinox signals warmer weather, new growth, and more time outdoors on our National Forests. From wildflower fields sprawling across meadows to woodland critters waking from their deep sleep, spring comes alive on our National Forests.

What is the Spring Equinox?

The spring equinox also known as the vernal equinox marks the beginning of the spring season. This year it begins on March 19 and there will be 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Often during the winter season, we retreat inside and focus on rest. Spring can be a great opportunity to reflect on our past winter habits and refresh our daily rituals. Join the earth (and us!) in celebrating the spring equinox, look below for some of my favorite ways to welcome spring!

Three Ways to Celebrate Spring Equinox

Plant a Tree

Tree planting is the perfect way to celebrate the Earth and give back to the public lands that give us so much. Trees absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it as carbon in trunks, roots, branches, leaves, and even the soil. A single tree can sequester half a ton of CO₂ over its lifetime! The average American carbon footprint is 20 tons of CO₂ per year, by planting a tree this earth month you can offset your impact on the planet. Planting a tree is the easiest way to give back to the planet and with the NFF planting a tree has never been easier. When you donate one dollar to the National Forest Foundation, one tree is planted on one of the beautiful National Forests across the country.

Click here to plant a tree and celebrate spring!

Spring Cleaning (Forest Clean-up)

Are you down to get your hands dirty? Sometimes our Forests need a refresh the same way our homes do. With lost litter from hikers, trails can quickly fill up with trash, and Earth Month is a great time to clean up our favorite Forests. So, grab some gloves and trash bags hit the trail! If you don’t want to go by yourself, maybe go with a friend or check your local area for group clean-up events in your community. Also, don’t forget to check here to see what volunteer opportunities Forest Service partners are hosting.

Forest Service Partner Volunteer Opportunities

Regardless of where you clean up, giving back by packing out trash is a great way to spend Earth Month. Tag us in all your clean-up adventures this month and follow us to see how other forest lovers are celebrating Earth Month. #DowntoEarthMonth

Repair or Recycle

One of my favorite season traditions is beginning to shift my winter wardrobe back into my summer. Tucking away my thick sweaters and stowing away my coats, there is excitement in getting ready for the sun and new adventures. A lot of times when people begin the spring-cleaning process they tend to look back through their closets and purge a lot of the clothes that don’t bring the same joy as they did the season before. “Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills. To put things in perspective, this means that the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second.”[1] To reduce the number of clothes that end up in the landfill, consider mending or recycling that item for a different purpose before you toss it in the donate pile.

Clothing that has a small tear just might need a little bit of TLC! By mending torn clothes, we can extend the life of our favorite pieces and slow consumption by decreasing how often we buy new ones. If an item is no longer fitting, consider finding a local shelter or hospital that is accepting clothing donations. Trends come and go, and fast fashion continues to pollute our earth. This #EarthMonth take some time to recognize the impact of fast fashion and make your spring cleaning tradition a little more eco-conscious.

Cover photo by the U.S. Forest Service.

--------

[1] Igini, Martina. 2022. “10 Concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics.” Accessed March 12, 2023.

https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/