22.04 Earth Day Contest!

[Anna Petrova]

Hey Townshippers!

Want to decorate your town like a pro?
Grab the chance to get Goddess of Harvest — an awesome piece only experienced players have 😮✌

Let's celebrate Earth Day by sharing our own ways to help the environment 🌱🌞

We'll have a poll later, and five champs with the most voted solutions will receive the reward soon!

Best of luck, guys!

[Anna Petrova]

Hey everyone,

We have decided to run this contest not only on our Facebook page, but on the Forum too 💪
So we can't wait to hear your advice on protecting the environment!

[Nevada]

I live in the middle of the forest, and love to see where they cut down the bigger trees, they then replant baby trees in zones, so when you drive along beside them they step up in height in blocks. Only certain areas are allowed to be cut, and the rest of the forest left to nature. There’s lots of heathland around as well, where people will keep livestock over farming season. The (sheep/cows) are then moved to the fields to naturally fertilise the land ready for next seasons planting.

At home we’re big on recycling. There’s a bin for cardboard and paper, a bin for glass, a bin for tin, and a bin for plastic, then a bin for garden waste, and one for general.
The kids make a game of sorting out the paper from the plastic and getting it in the right bins to be recycled.
Any clothes that no longer fit go to charity shops, or if unsuitable they get kept for rag in the garage, or cut up and re-sewed for doll clothes or blankets.
All shopping bags are reusable, rather than getting new ones at the grocery store each time.

We used to pick up litter around bins and put it in them but people started getting stuck by needles that lovely people started deliberately hiding in rubbish cause, you know, that’s fun... so we had to stop that, but the town does a public litter pick once a month complete with proper equipment.

Bug hotels and bog ponds are becoming more popular, and the kids have made both already this year.
Bug hotels are just a bunch of various sticks/poles/leaves wedged together to make a home for various insects.
Bog ponds are little tiny ponds made in a bucket sunk into the mud and half-covered with plants for new frogs/newts to find a home/birds to find a drink.

I’d like to think my kids will grow up with an understanding of how to do some simple things to help preserve the nature around them.

ETA: some people go all out with their bug hotels (pic from google).
86EE24BD-983D-4F8C-924E-707E97280FBF.jpg

[Monaco]

I prefer using natural cosmetics, since they don't contain any microplastics. Also use mainly ecological household detergents. Avoid plastic packaging as good as possible, furthermore I separate my waste.

[JayS]

Am aiming for the wooden spoon with this entry:

As far as possible use only what you need, made as much as possible from natural renewable resources.
We have a wormery and a compost heap and I am a fab hand at upcycling/re-purposing.
Unfortunately I fail to practice what I preach as playing TS is not carbon neutral. Game servers produce a lot of heat. My excuse is all worthy and no play makes Jay a dull girl

[PhyllisVance]

Reusable water bottles!! We all have a friend whose car is full of plastic, non-biodegradable throw-away plastic bottles. Buy a water filter that goes into your fridge & fill your bottle before work, school, practice, whatever! The water filters last a long time & there are so many cute water bottles out there now!

[kitty4715]

Am so glad you have decided to give us a chance to win here on the forum too, Anna! Would be giddy to have that Goddess of Harvest in my town! <3

I have always been big on trying to be as “green” as possible, and doing as many things as possible to help preserve our environment. Here are some of the things I practice.

1. Recycle everything I can! Luckily I have curbside recycling now that accepts all plastic, paper, glass, etc. but in the past would separate and take items to local recycling centers. For more difficult items like electronics, I will either take to a local place like Best Buy or wait until my community hosts a free electronic recycling drop off.

2. Buy organic food, personal care products, and clothing whenever it is financially feasible.

3. Have eliminated as much plastic from my life as possible: I have reusable glass, ceramic and stainless steel water bottles and other storage items; shop with reusable tote bags; store various household items in mason jars; on the rare occasion I have to get disposable plates/utensils, I always purchase biodegradable products.

4. I haven’t owned a car in many years. I love to walk and do many errands on foot. For further distances, I will ride my bike or take public transportation.

5. Make a habit out of the “small” things: When brushing my teeth, I don’t let the water run the full time. I only turn it on at beginning to get the brush wet and at the end when ready to rinse my mouth. I keep certain appliances like my toaster unplugged while not in use.

6. DIY Products: Yup, I’ll admit it, I’m that “crunchy” person making their own lotion, shampoo, laundry detergent, household cleaner. It’s usually pretty easy to do, cheaper than buying in store, and fun to make! Store in glass mason jars or dispensers I also have almost completely eliminated paper towels and napkins in my house by switching to reusable items. You can purchase towels or washcloths or you can make your own rags but cutting up old shirts or bed sheets, etc.

7. Garden, Hike, Celebrate the Earth!: Ok, I know that was super corny lol. But, nothing makes you more motivated to protect the earth than actually interacting with it. Indoor plants have so many benefits for the environment (improving air quality and helping to regular air temperature moisture) and us (can help make you feel more calm). Hiking is great exercise and always makes me feel so much happier!

Ok, I know that was super long - but at least it is digital and not printed out wasting paper Always go paperless when possible!

[Downton]

I so wish I could enter this competition as I have just seen this dec in one of my friends town. It's gorgeous!
Unfortunately my helping the environment is not as good as it should be. Great competition though, well done to you guys who are all doing your bit.I will definitely take these ideas on board and try to implement some of them into my life .

[Bessville]

I'm just gonna list some ways to help the environment. Some of which I actually do..

* our family car is a hybrid and my husband can make it to and from work on battery power alone
* we conserve rainwater and grey household water for use in the garden instead of running a hosepipe
* I whittled my iPad out of a tree I grew from a conker I rescued from the path of a car.
* we recycle almost all of our glass, metals, paper and plastics
* I walked my kids the two miles to and from school for years and years
* our clothes are all made from my own naturally-shed hair and bits of pocket-lint.
* I mostly use vinegar and bicarb to clean the house instead of harsh chemicals
* I rarely buy produce that has any air miles
* actually, we eat mostly roadkill...
* I don't buy single-use plastics unless completely unavoidable
* we don't use high VOC paints etc in our house or garden
*...which we run over by accident on the tandem bicycles we made from scrap metal
* I make a lot of our household decor by re-purposing various bits and pieces
* I let my hair go fully grey in my 30's because chemicals ...eww
* My house/shack is actually built almost entirely from twigs and hemp-twine
* I have two wildlife ponds, which make homes for assorted bugs & reptiles
* I grow native wildflowers because honeybees like them and have large native trees for birds to nest in
* I once found a dead hedgehog and I rendered his remains to make candles. Except the spines, which I use to darn our hair-socks. I like to think he was pleased.
* We make our own compost, and send our larger garden waste for Council recycling too
* I grow big clumps of bamboo in the garden because they gather dead leaves at the bottom which make natural bug hotels if you don't clean them up.
* and I feed the stems to my breeding pair of Giant Pandas, named Nevada and Dread. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

I can't recommend implementing all of these, Downton. Many involve... questionable odours.

[Downton]

I'm just gonna list some ways to help the environment. Some of which I actually do..
.............

I can't recommend implementing all of these, Downton. Many involve... questionable odours.

Great list Bess. I have just sent my other half out to find tonight's tea from the roadsides, with instructions that if he also finds a dead hedgehog for my candles, I will darn him some lovely new socks .

Seriously I can guess which ones you really do, definitely food for thought. I would love to create more for the wildlife in my garden and learn how to turn wastage into a useful resource (such as compost).