Happy Earth Day! Or as I like to call it, “A great excuse to make my kids turn the lights off for once.”
Here’s a stat that’ll hit harder than stepping on a LEGO barefoot: 140 million tons of waste go into U.S. landfills every year. That’s roughly 4.5 pounds of trash per person per day. And unless you want your grandkids wading through a sea of old Happy Meal toys and Amazon packaging, it’s time to make some changes.
I’m no environmental scientist, but I am a dad of four. And I know that if we don’t start making simple changes now, we’re going to be leaving our kids with more than just our dad jokes—we’ll be leaving them with a giant mess.
So here are some dad-friendly Earth Day ideas that are easy to implement, low on the stress scale, and high on the “let’s actually make a difference” factor.
💧 Hydration with a Purpose: Refillable Water Bottles
Let’s face it—disposable plastic water bottles are so 2002.
These days, everyone has a favorite reusable bottle. I’ve got one for plain water, one for lemon water, one that I pretend is just water… and the best part? My kids are getting in on it too. Hydrojug is a great option, and if you use code moderndad you can get a discount here.
They love checking how many plastic bottles the water fountains at school have saved. It’s like a sustainability scoreboard, and we are here for it.
Dad Tip: Let your kids pick out a fun bottle with stickers or their name on it—it becomes less of a chore and more of a treasure.
🛍️ Bag It Like a Pro: Reusable Shopping Bags
Shopping bags are one of those things we all mean to use… and then forget in the trunk. Every. Single. Time.
Set a reminder on your phone, hang them on your doorknob, or just make it a game with the kids—first one to remember the bags gets to pick the treat at checkout.
Bonus points if you shop at Costco and use their collapsible boxes instead of scavenging for a cardboard box with a mystery smell.
🚽 Flush Smarter, Not Harder
Low-flow toilets might not sound exciting, but when you’re a dad with a water bill that’s higher than your car payment, they become very exciting.
These water-saving wonders reduce water use by up to 20% per flush. And in a house with four kids who apparently think flushing is a competitive sport, that’s no small thing.
💡 Lights Out, Energy Saved
Here’s a challenge: Walk through your house at the end of the day and count how many lights your kids left on. (Spoiler alert: It’s all of them.)
Switching to LED lightbulbs and teaching your kids to hit the switch on the way out of a room might not save the world overnight, but it’ll definitely help your energy bill—and your sanity.
🧴 Lather, Rinse, Reuse: Refillable Shampoo & Conditioner
Our family of six goes through shampoo like it’s going out of style. But refillable shampoo bottles? That’s a game changer.
Brands like Plaine Products and Everist offer sustainable, refillable options—and suddenly, you’re tossing fewer bottles in the trash and more hair into that drain catcher (seriously, how much hair is in there?!).
♻️ Recycling: The Real MVP
Recycling isn’t just about tossing cardboard into a blue bin and calling it a day.
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Recycle electronics (you know, that old printer in the garage from 2008)
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Reuse packing materials or donate them to local shipping centers
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Drop off glass bottles or aluminum at designated centers
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And yes—flatten those Amazon boxes first, please
Check with your city to see what they accept, because every area’s a little different.
And if you’re in Utah like us, you’ll find plenty of places that take just about everything (except maybe your kid’s broken art project from 2nd grade—sorry, sweetie).
🚶♂️ Ditch the Car (Sometimes)
I get it—Utah is basically a mountain range with neighborhoods sprinkled in. I’m not carrying my week’s groceries up a hill like I’m on “Survivor: Suburbia.”
But walking to school, biking to a friend’s house, or even choosing to walk to church instead of driving? That’s doable. We pulled the Madsen bucket bike back out and been riding the kids around in that lately.
Bonus: It gets the wiggles out of the kids and lets you pretend you’re training for a 5K you’ll never actually sign up for.
Final Thoughts from a Dad Who Tries
I’m not perfect. I still forget the bags. I still toss the occasional juice box straw wrapper into the regular bin. But Earth Day is about progress, not perfection.
If every family made one or two small changes today, imagine the massive difference we’d see tomorrow.
So whether it’s refilling your water bottle, finally using that bike pump in the garage, or turning off the bathroom light that’s been on since Tuesday—just start.
And teach your kids along the way. Because if we want them to grow up loving the Earth, we’ve got to show them what that love looks like.
Happy Earth Day, friends. Let’s make it count—for our kids, and our kids’ kids.
Let me know in the comments what your favorite family Earth-friendly habits are—or if you’ve also finally remembered to bring the bags into Target.
