Celebrate Earth Month in Dalton and Whitfield County

With April here we are celebrating Earth Month, a time dedicated to honoring and preserving our planet’s natural beauty and resources. From individual efforts to community-wide initiatives in Dalton and Whitfield County, there are countless ways to make a positive impact.

Volunteering to help the planet is a great way to celebrate. Help clean up litter along one of our roadways by joining in with Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday, April 20, at 9 a.m. Volunteers will meet at the Need to Feed at 1754 Mill Creek Road and spend a few hours cleaning up the massively littered area. Because of the heavy traffic and rural atmosphere this road is ripe for attracting litter from those passing by and unsecured loads. It takes volunteers like you to help keep the environment clean to help deter animals from the roadway and make our community more beautiful. To learn more, visit keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

You can also celebrate by taking the time to appreciate Dalton’s natural beauty. The Dalton Resilient Communities Project through Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful will host a series of guided walks and demonstrations during April. These will start on Saturday, April 13, at 9 a.m. with Gretchen Lugthart leading a guided wildflower and plant walk on Dalton State College trails. There are also birding demonstrations and walks planned. To see the full list of events, visit keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

Did you know that all Whitfield County and Dalton schools participate in the Target Recycling program? April is a great time to revamp efforts within the school to increase recycling practice and awareness. Talk to your PTA and school administration to determine ideas of how to promote recycling within the school and to parents. Schools play a vital role in shaping the next generation’s attitudes toward the environment. If you want to learn more about the free program for recycling in Dalton and Whitfield, visit https://www.dwswa.org/target-recycling-at-school.

Take the time this month to find ways to better conserve your water. Conserving water is essential for preserving freshwater resources and reducing water-related energy consumption. Earth Month offers an opportunity to implement water-saving measures at home, such as fixing leaks, installing low-flow fixtures and using water-efficient appliances.

Furthermore, practicing mindful water usage habits like taking shorter showers, collecting rainwater for irrigation and watering plants during cooler times of the day can help minimize water waste. One of my favorite water tips in the spring is to collect your shower water while it is warming up and use that water for your garden or house plants.

One thing that we will be doing in our home this month is starting composting again. We recently moved and fell out of the habit because our setup needed to change so I’m using the holiday to motivate me to create our new setup. There are plenty of ways to start composting. At our new home, we will be using the tote solution. We have multiple totes that I will be drilling small holes in to create airflow and filling these up with green and brown waste to slowly make compost.

Share that you care this month. Whether it is through social media or in person, mention to others what you are doing to celebrate Earth Month and why you care about taking care of our community. Doing environmental work can get lonely. Knowing that people in the community care can make everyone do a better job at cleaning up after themselves or others, making sure they recycle, or using less water. This is one instance where peer pressure can be a good thing.

Earth Month helps remind us that it is our shared responsibility to take care of the planet for ourselves and future generations. By taking action in Dalton and Whitfield we can foster a culture of sustainability, promote environmental stewardship and work toward a more resilient and thriving community. Let’s make this the best Earth Month yet.