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Happy Earth Day 2012!

Here at Inhabitat we like to treat every day like Earth Day ^[4] – but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to give Mother Earth a little extra attention on April 22nd. The Inhabitat editors and contributors are celebrating Earth Day in a multitude of ways, from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the shores of New York, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and beyond – read on for our plans! If you’re joining in with an environment-themed activity of your own we’d love to hear about it – sound off in the comments below. And if you don’t have any plans yet then make sure to check out our list of 10 awesome Earth Day activities ^[5] for a little inspiration and read up on the history of Earth Day ^[6].

Jill Fehrenbacher – Founder and Editor-In-Chief – New York, New York

This Earth Day it is going to rain all day in New York City, so while my family was originally hoping to spend some time at a local park planting trees, I suspect instead we’ll probably be heading to the Natural History Museum ^[7], where my 3 year old can learn about different animals (including his favorite: dinosaurs), and I can contemplate the history of life on our planet. Even though he’s only 3, my son has already been hitting me up with all sorts of fun awkward questions about extinction ^[8], death, and why some animals aren’t around any more, and what happened to them – which has definitely forced me to work on my storytelling skills, as well peaked my interest in the subject of mass extinctions ^[8] and the ebb and flow of life on our planet. We’re in the midst of another extinction event ^[9] – caused by the over-growth of human populations on the planet ^[9], and our own survival (i.e. the survival of human civilization) is going to be predicated on how well we can stem the tide and try to stave off climate change ^[10]. Based on how things have been going in the last 5 years, with the constant politicized debates ^[11] over whether or not climate change even exists ^[11], I’m not feeling very optimistic about our prospects.

Mike Chino – Managing Editor – San Francisco, California

This Earth Day I’ll be foregoing my usual lazy Sunday for a brisk bike ride around the San Francisco Bay Area at breakneck pace. The route will be the Paradise Loop ^[12] – a 42 mile ride that runs from San Francisco to Sausalito, Tiberon, Mill Valley, and back. The highlight will be Paradise Drive – an 8 mile stretch of winding, rolling, nearly car-free coastline that lives up to its name in every way.
 
 
 
 
 

Yuka Yoneda – Senior Editor – Queens, New York

A few weeks ago, I signed my whole family up for a foraging tour with Wildman Steve Brill ^[13]and was hoping we could do it on Earth Day. What is a foraging tour, you ask? Well, if you’re familiar with the locavore movement, foraging for food is just about as local as it gets because you’re basically just going to whatever parks are in your neighborhood and picking edible berries, nuts, mushrooms and leaves to turn into your dinner. Who is Wildman Steve Brill, you ask? Wildman Steve Brill is one of my heroes. He is a foraging and wild food expert who teaches others how to live off of the land, even if that land is Central Park or some other city park. Alas, it seems that Mother Nature won’t be cooperating this Sunday (or maybe it seems she will be considering the drought we’ve been having lately), since the forecast predicts rain. If that happens, I’ll save foraging for next time and work on my DIY terrarium nail art ^[14] and forage from my mini mushroom farm ^[15] and Aerogarden ^[16]in the dryness of my own home. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Lori Zimmer – Contributing Writer – New York, New York

This Earth Day I will be witnessing Fluxist artist Alison Knowles’ performance “Make a Salad ^[17]” on the High Line!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Jasmin Malik Chua – Managing Editor, Ecouterre – New York, New York

Sowing the seeds of tomorrow!
 

 

Leon Kaye – Contributing Writer – Los Angeles, California

I actually will have a quiet Earth Day, with little plans except to do my usual writing about what’s going on in the world . . . and researching eco-friendly and used materials for a condo I am buying. While I appreciate the message behind Earth Day, I also find it to be a day when companies and individuals pay token attention to our environment while the rest of year they do considerable damage. Too many Earth Day events have resulted in more garbage and empty words for my liking, so I choose not to make a big deal about it. I wish PR companies and marketers would take more sincere action instead of sending us long-winded releases about the “great stuff” that they are doing.

Marc Carter – Contributing Writer – San Francisco, California

This Earth Day I will be connecting with friends from all over California as we prepare for my upcoming move to NYC. The weather in San Francisco will be amazing, so we will spend most of the weekend reminiscing in our favorite park and hiking in Marin. The day will also include going through all of my things to make piles of everything I am donating to charity. I will also be taking time to re-pot and tend to all of my house plants that I will be giving to my friends and family. Lastly since it is Earth Day my car will stay parked in the garage for the weekend!
 

Andrew Michler – Green Building Writer – Off-grid in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Much Earthday shenanigans at the Michler-Kiessling cabin in Colorado. My wife and I are hosting artists for next week’s sound art installation Sound Through Barriers ^[18] in Ft Collins. We also broke ground on a Passive House ^[19] guest house and office last week, a conversion of my old shop, which means tons (literally) of prep work and a bit of brain damage, but as progress is being made it reminds me why I love sustainable building so much. Plus I get to play in the dirt.
 
 
 

Ana Lisa Alperovich – Contributing Writer – Buenos Aires, Argentina

2012′s Earth Day will be for me, just like any other day. I am currently in Buenos Aires, so I guess I will spend it riding my bike, writing a bit, catching up with friends and doing some gardening on my 9th-floor balcony overlooking the Rio de la Plata.
I am going back to Europe in a week’s time — where I will be covering eco-design shows and doing exclusives for Inhabitat — so I am getting ready for it while saying goodbye to my loved ones… and Sunday is a good day for goodbyes.
 
 

Nathaniel Ross – Contributing Writer – Chicago, Illinois

For Earth Day 2012, I’ll be running the 5K for Earth Day ^[20] through Humboldt Park here in Chicago to celebrate and raise awareness of being responsible stewards of this glorious sphere we all call home. Afterwards, I plan on biking to some of the amazing farmers markets around the city, helping support local agriculture while stocking up on delicious, fresh veggies! In the afternoon, if the weather is nice I’ll go for a walk on the magnificent Chicago lakefront with my dog, Lemon ^[21], and come home to finish up an article I’m writing for a Chicago lifestyle magazine ^[22] featuring six women-owned businesses that practice and promote sustainability through green design. Then I’ll cook and eat those previously mentioned veggies with some family and good friends (Full disclosure – there might be some organic wine, beer, and spirits involved in the evening activities). Nothing really too out of the ordinary, actually – only millions of others will be celebrating Mother Earth with me, and that’s pretty darn cool.

Allison Leahy – Contributing Writer – San Francisco, California

Happy Earth Day. I know many of you celebrate the earth every day, so happy “every day”! I aim to start this Sunday off with a twist. I will be joining the Midnight Mystery Ride ^[23] and may very well end up on Ocean Beach with the sound of breaking waves ringing sonorous in my ears at 2:30 AM. Hello, Mother Nature! After a brief sleep, I’ll meet up with as many as 15,000 Bay Area natives for the annual Earth Day San Francisco celebration. This year, attendees can rub shoulders with the Pachamama Alliance ^[24], the Sustainable Living Road Show, and One World One Voice, among dozens of other speakers, musicians, chefs, and artists. Round that out with a hot vegetarian meal and an organic brew or two, and I’ll have had another pleasantly earthy day. All the best to you and yours.

Lea Bogdan – Contributing Writer – Chicago, Illinois

I am keeping my carbon footprint low and hanging at home for earth day this year, but will be celebrating by exercising my green thumbs. I just love cultivating my tiny urban garden, so I will be spending time tending to my worm farm, collecting nutrient rich compost for new baby plantings. I’m also going to try my hand at creating an indoor wall hanging green scape – I just got a Gro Vert ^[25] planter box to test out!

Helen Morgan – Contributing Writer – Barcelona, Spain

Last year I was lucky enough to be cycling around tasting organic wines in Argentina ^[26] and this Earth Day I’m planning to be on a bike again, but this time in Barcelona. I’ll head to the beautiful botanical gardens in the city ^[27] to check on the veggies we’ve been planting this spring and use what I find to prepare a (hopefully) delicious picnic. Then off on the Bicing bike share scheme ^[28]with some friends for a cycle ride up the mountain to take some photos ^[29], and as always, I’ll be looking out for some more great eco-designs perfect for Inhabitat. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Laura Cowan – Road Test Editor – Ann Arbor, Michigan

In previous years, I have focused on reducing my carbon footprint in my driving and at home. This year I’m thinking positive impact and looking at ways I can support conservation efforts and help clean up the planet. I’m also reviewing new green products for kids and home on my green parenting blog 29Diapers.com ^[30] to offer green parents new ideas for green kids gifts and home maintenance products. Earth Day offers a great opportunity to do a yearly check-up on greening my life. Sometimes it feels like I can never do enough to make a real difference, but changing one habit at a time really adds up over the years.