8 Ways to Celebrate National Simplicity Day

If someone asked you when holidays typically happen, you might answer in the fall and winter. During those months, there’s always another upcoming holiday to prepare for. It’s exhausting because they keep you so busy. While there are fewer holidays in the warmer months, there are still a couple you can celebrate without having to go overboard on buying gifts or going on an extravagant trip.

In fact, the holiday you can look forward to is National Simplicity Day. Every year on July 12, people across the nation celebrate the simple things in life. Most of the time, this is shown by little changes to your daily routine that make life easier and kinder on the earth. Read on for ways you can join in on National Simplicity Day this year. You might find that you want to keep up the changes to lead a simpler life all year long.

1. Take a Walk

Sometimes the best way to stop taking something for granted is to immerse yourself in it. Taking a long walk on National Simplicity Day will remind you of all the wonders that the earth has to offer. Whether you’re in awe of a gorgeous sunset or entertained by wildlife, a walk will provide a new perspective you can use to gauge how your normal routine affects the planet. It’s a simple way to take a second look at habits you may not have thought critically about before.

2. Bike to Work

Using a car or bus to get where you need to go is something that can be easily taken for granted. In reality, it’s simpler to walk or bike where you need to go. Biking to work even just for one morning will give your body a nice workout while it helps the planet. People who bike to work even for just 10-mile trips can save an average of 1.3 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere each year. It’s something to think about if you’re able to work it into your routine.

3. Skip the Dryer

When your washing machine is done with its wash cycle, it’s easy to throw things in the dryer and move on with your day. Take a break from your dryer and make your own drying rack instead. It’s easy enough to throw your clothes over the rack, and it’ll save energy by not using it. Less energy means that the earth is being given its own space. It’s a simple way to be sustainable and celebrate the upcoming holiday at the same time.

4. Have a Short Shower

Showering before work or a social event means that you’re probably rushing to get done, but you might enjoy taking longer showers when you can. For one day, make your shower as short as possible. The idea is to conserve water, which isn’t just good for the earth. Using less water on a regular basis will save you money on your water bill, so it’s worth trying out.

5. Turn Off the TV

Another way to save on energy is to turn off the TV. When you feel like you need to relax with your favorite show, opt for different entertainment instead. Environmentally friendly options would be reading, playing a board game or car game or even painting. These activities are therapeutic as well, so you’ll relieve stress and have an engaging fun activity to do in your free time. You can always catch up on TV later when it’s not a day dedicated to helping the planet in simple ways and reducing your stress levels.

6. Bring a Bag

Going to the grocery store is something that people do every week across the globe. Those trips add up and the plastic bag pollution is evidence of that. Between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. Of all the junk that’s found along coastlines, plastic bags rank in the top 12 items of debris. You can make a difference by bringing fabric bags or even old plastic ones to the grocery store this week. Any move that keeps new plastic bags out of landfills and the environment is a good one.

7. Recycle More Than Normal

Recycling is something anyone can do for National Simplicity Day. Even if you don’t have a recycling disposal company come and pick up your designated bins, you can take your recyclables to a local center that will take care of them for you. Making new things out of old ones will save trash from ending up in landfills, polluting the environment around them for decades and sometimes even centuries to come.

8. Read About Conservation

Maybe you’re feeling like there’s not enough you can do for National Simplicity Day, but you aren’t limited to just greener actions. Reading about conservation and studying the facts will make you more informed, leading to better decisions in the future. You’ll be able to teach others around you about how their actions affect the planet so they don’t wait for national holidays to do something about human pollution. Everyone could stand to be more informed, so get online or pick up a book to expand your knowledge. Starting your sustainability journey doesn’t have to start with you changing your life all at once. It can start with the simple step of wanting to do something to celebrate a holiday. National Simplicity Day is the perfect time to do that. By reading about what you can do to conserve and lead a greener life, you’ll find little actions you can take to help the planet. They may not seem big at first, but they’ll invest in your drive to make a difference and lead to more changes later on.

Do something small like recycling your daily soda cans instead of tossing them out or skip the dry cycle to hang your clothes instead. Everyone starts somewhere, and baby steps like these could take you to a greener lifestyle you want to live. Start this year on National Simplicity Day and then see where your new habits take you.