World Environment Day is Monday, June 5th. Canada is the host country this year and the theme is, “I’m With Nature”. You can see World Environment Day’s website here. Living in the city can sometimes prove difficult to connect with nature. Luckily, in St. Louis we have many ways to connect with nature. If you can’t get out of the office this day, remember, you can appreciate nature everyday by reducing, reusing and recycling the earth’s valuable, finite resources! Here are a few ways you can connect with nature outside on World Environment Day or anytime this summer!
1. Forest Park is a great resource to charge your nature battery. However, if you cannot go there, St. Louis has over 100 parks, so there’s bound to be one close to your home! There are so many activities to do and explore. Take time to pause and look around at the diverse nature living in the heart of the city! Identify different trees, butterflies, flowers and birds. Check out books from the library or download apps to help you identify plants, animals and insects.
2. Wake up a little bit earlier on June 5th to explore nature in the wee hours of the morning. See how the birds wake up and the flowers open up. Or stop by the Brightside Demonstration Garden at our office to see the diversity of Missouri native plants in an urban area. Here is a guide of nature activities to do year around in St. Louis.
3. We love nature, but unfortunately it gets trashed sometimes. Gather your neighbors and friends to do a clean-up event. Sadly, trash looks like food to most animals. By keeping our neighborhoods clean, we are ensuring humans and animals stay healthy and water ways are clean. During your clean-up you can borrow recycling carts from Brightside St. Louis to make sure any clean recyclables on the ground get recycled. Glass, cans, plastic, clean cardboard and paper! We have other tools and trash bags available to help with your project! Register for tools here.
4. Sign up for St. Louis Urban Gardening Symposium (SLUGS) Saturday, June 3rd from 9am-12pm. You choose four, 40-minute workshops to attend for only $15! Whether you’re new to gardening or want to stay up to date with newest techniques, these workshops are instructed by regional experts will help you get the garden you always dreamed of. Some of the topics include: native plants, rain gardening, garden design, pruning, composting and attracting pollinators. Register here.
5. Spend time in your garden. Don’t have one? Start one! It’s not too late and very satisfying to start plants from seeds. Buy plant starts from your local nursery. Incorporate plants into your home or work space to get a little piece of nature inside. Rubber trees, peace lilies and snake plants are all great plants to have indoors.
6. Head to the water! We don’t mean the ocean, although that would be nice. Explore the regions many rivers and creeks. Find your park here.
