Fifty years ago, Earth Day was started as an education opportunity, spreading the word about sparking transformative change for our environment and our planet. As we get ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 22, you may be asking how you can celebrate Earth Day this year. 

With our normal means of celebrating Earth Day presenting a challenge for many—heading out to find an EarthCache or attend a CITO may not be possible right now—what’s a geocacher to do?  

For starters, this year, Earth Day is going digital, with the hashtag #EarthDay2020. Originally started as an educational opportunity that spread the message of environmental conservation through “teach-ins”, it’s only natural to use the technological tools we have today to continue to spread the message far and wide. 

One of the many reasons our game is so amazing is that our gameboard is the entire globe. Geocaches can be found throughout the world in deserts, rainforests, canyons, swamps, cities, and towns. On Earth Day, geocachers are called to remember and celebrate the fact that we get to call this beautiful planet our gameboard. 

With that in mind, here are three ways to give to back to our planet, make a waste reduction impact, and share the geocaching love online:

Share an EarthCache

If you love EarthCaches, we bet you’ve found some pretty cool ones in the past. Share a #WaybackWednesday picture of your favorite EarthCache, along with a fun fact about what you learned (#nospoilers), and the #EarthDay2020 hashtag! 

CITO in your backyard

Cache In Trash Out® (CITO) is an environmental initiative supported by the geocaching community. Since 2002, CITO has helped preserve cache-friendly spaces. In that time, more than 470,000 people have volunteered at over 24,000 events in 124 countries.

Although it’s nice to attend a CITO Event and earn a souvenir, great geocachers know that you can CITO wherever you go! This Earth Day, it’s okay to think closer to home, and simply clean up your yard, street, patio, or balcony. Post a photo of your backyard cleanup—again, don’t forget to use the #EarthDay2020 hashtag!

Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose

Have you been doing some spring cleaning? What have you unearthed that could be used for geocaching? Instead of sending your trash to a dump, make a cool cache container, some swag, or stick a tracking code on it and send it off to be a trackable. 

Share your reused creations online and inspire others to reduce, reuse, repurpose with the #EarthDay2020 hashtag and remember—that’s not trash, it’s a geocache!

How are you celebrating Earth Day 2020?